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Jason Gavin came to the visitors rescue early on when he made a vital interception as Marjamaa
raced through on goal. Following this early scare Drogheda enjoyed much the better of the opening twenty minutes and went close to breaking the deadlock twice.
With 16 minutes gone Gavin Whelan broke down the right and found Eamon Zayed just outside the box who laid the ball off to Paul Keegan who drove his shot narrowly over the bar.
Seven minutes later Whelan again caused the home side problems on the right when he knocked a dangerous ball into the box which Marjamaa cleared as Tony Grant was about to pounce.
It was all of half an hour before Helsinki created an opening as Antti Pohja picked up a poor clearance from a corner on the left 18 yards from goal but fired his shot the wrong side of the visitors post.
Drogheda deservedly hit the front with 41 minutes played when debutant Tony Grant stole the ball from Veli Lampi out on the left and passed to Shane Robinson who cracked the ball home from the left corner of the box.
The home side were better in the second half and should have leveled when they won a penalty on 74 minutes when United defender Graham Gartland was harshly adjudged to have handled the ball when falling to the ground.
However justice was done when Farid Ghazi's spot kick was saved by Dan Connor who also blocked Ghazi's second effort from the loose ball.
There was little the Drogheda goalkeeper could do to prevent Halsti's strike from 18 yards entering the net for that late HJK equalising goal.
HJK Helsinki: Ville, Marjamaa, Aalto, Pohja, Ghazi (Aijala 86), Lampi, Nurmela, Parikka (Zeneli 69), Hakanpaa (Petri 73), Halsti, Sorsa.
Drogheda United: Connor, Lynch, Webb, Gavin, Gartland, Robinson, Whelan, Grant (Barrett 75), Shelley, Zayed (Ristila 57), Keegan.