Archive April 19, 2025

For much of the 120 minutes at Hampden, there was precious little hint of the beautiful story to come, the heart-warming endgame to a Scottish Cup semi-final that wasn’t always easy on the eye.

From a grind to a thing of glory for Aberdeen and their match-winner, Oday Dabbagh, a Palestinian, born in the Old City of Jerusalem.

We waited and waited for a story and, boy, did we get one.

Dabbagh came on to the pitch in the 81st minute when Aberdeen were mid-toil. Very little wit, very little imagination, very few signs that they had it in them to take advantage of their numerical superiority.

Dabbagh, and fellow substitute Dante Polvara, were beginning to make a difference. The Palestinian forced a terrific save from Craig Gordon and slowly Aberdeen started to turn the screw.

Alexander Jensen had a chance, Jeppe Okkels had one of his own. Penalties loomed, but so did Dabbagh.

When he tucked away the goal that sent Aberdeen to the final – just two minutes short of penalties – he wheeled away to be with his supporters. On full-time, his team-mates went to him, one by one.

Later, amid the bedlam, he spoke about it all.

“It’s a really incredible feeling, I can’t explain,” he said. “I’m happy to score the winning goal, I’m happy to be in the final. Thank you to the fans.

This was Dabbagh’s 10th game for Aberdeen since he joined on loan from Charleroi at the turn of the year.

A 90th-minute winner against Kilmarnock, a double against Queen’s Park in the cup, and now this, a different stratosphere to the others.

It’s a goal that will mean more to him and football people in his homeland than we’ll possibly ever know.

His story is quite something. As a kid on the cobbles of Jerusalem, he idolised Robin van Persie. At the age of 16 he was playing for, and excelling with, Hilal al-Quds in the West Bank Premier League.

He won league titles there. In 2018-19 he was the competition’s top scorer.

At 19, he played for his national team. A teenager, yes, but one who had already seen a lot – too much.

Matches delayed while teams were held at checkpoints. Tear-gassing of stadiums. Players who lost homes in bombings.

Dabbagh’s reputation grew and he moved to Kuwait, broke a collarbone, got Covid and still won trophies and a golden boot. When winning a league title, he dedicated it to home.

In August 2021, at the age of 22, Dabbagh was signed by Arouca in the Portuguese top flight. He made his debut off the bench against Porto and Pepe was his marker.

Just as he spoke about his happiness at Hampden, he spoke then about his pride in reaching such a level “not just for me but for all Palestinians. I hope I can be an ambassador for Palestinian players”.

Palestinian football commentators and social historians remarked on what Dabbagh had done in Portugal, how football was tied up in the psyche of the Palestinian people and how Dabbagh, the new pioneer in foreign fields, embodied that spirit.

In the summer of 2023, he moved to Charleroi in Belgium, played Asian Cup for his country and had a crack at the World Cup qualifiers.

But game-time for his club grew limited. When Aberdeen were looking for a loan striker, their research threw up his name – a player who had lost his way a little, but one who had still plenty to give in the right environment.

And the environment was never more right than at Hampden in the 118th minute of a tight scrap that seemed destined to end in penalties until Dabbagh did his thing.

Aberdeen are now in the final having faced Elgin (third in League Two at the time); Dunfermline (who were eighth in the Championship); and Queen’s Park (fifth in the same second tier).

That was a charmed path to Hampden and the breaks continued for Aberdeen when Hearts went down to 10 and then nine men, unjustly in the case of Cammy Devlin, many would say.

Still, Jimmy Thelin’s side needed a hero and, for all their possession and all of their territory, it didn’t look like they had one in their ranks – until Dabbagh pounced.

Indian Premier League, Jaipur

Lucknow Super Giants 180-5 (20 overs): Markram 66 (45), Badoni 50 (34); Hasaranga 2-31

Rajasthan Royals 178-5 (20 overs): Jaiswal 74 (52); Avesh 3-37

Lucknow Super Giants won by two runs

Fourteen-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi hit his first ball for six having become the youngest player to ever feature in the Indian Premier League.

Opening the batting for Rajasthan Royals in their two-run defeat by Lucknow Super Giants, Suryavanshi lifted India international Shardul Thakur over extra cover as he made an eye-catching 34 from 20 balls.

The left-hander also hit his third ball over the ropes and struck three fours plus one further six.

Suryavanshi, who only turned 14 last month and was signed at last year’s auction for £103,789 (1. 1 crore rupees), was particularly strong hitting down the ground and shared an opening stand of 85 with Yashasvi Jaiswal.

The teenager was eventually out stumped off South Africa’s Aiden Markram in the ninth over.

He took the record of spinner Prayas Rai Burman, who played one match for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2019, to become the youngest IPL player. Burman featured aged 16 years and 154 days.

Suryavanshi’s opening stand with Jaiswal put Rajasthan on course for victory in pursuit of 181 and Jaiswal went on to make 74 to put his side well in command.

But Jaiswal was dismissed at the start of the 18th over and Lucknow completed a dramatic turnaround as Avesh Khan defended nine from the last over.

Suryavanshi became the youngest player to be signed for the IPL when he was picked up at the auction after a bidding war last year.

He made headlines last October when he, also aged 13, scored a 58-ball century for India Under-19s in a Youth Test against Australia Under-19s in Chennai.

Suryavanshi was also part of India’s Under-19 Asia Cup squad last year. There he scored 176 runs at an average of 44.

He plays first-class cricket for Bihar, a state in eastern India where he grew up, and made his debut aged 12 last January.

Indian Premier League, Jaipur

Lucknow Super Giants 180-5 (20 overs): Markram 66 (45), Badoni 50 (34); Hasaranga 2-31

Rajasthan Royals 178-5 (20 overs): Jaiswal 74 (52); Avesh 3-37

Lucknow Super Giants won by two runs

Fourteen-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi hit his first ball for six having become the youngest player to feature in the Indian Premier League during Rajasthan Royals’ defeat by Lucknow Super Giants.

Opening the batting for the Royals, Suryavanshi lifted India international Shardul Thakur over extra cover as he made an eye-catching 34 from 20 balls.

The left-hander also hit his third ball over the ropes and struck three fours plus one further six.

Suryavanshi, who only turned 14 last month and was signed at last year’s auction for £103,789 (1. 1 crore rupees), was particularly strong hitting down the ground and shared an opening stand of 85 with Yashasvi Jaiswal.

The teenager was eventually out stumped off South Africa’s Aiden Markram in the ninth over.

He took the record of spinner Prayas Rai Burman, who played one match for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2019, to become the youngest IPL player. Burman featured aged 16 years and 154 days.

Suryavanshi’s opening stand with Jaiswal put Rajasthan on course for victory in pursuit of 181 and Jaiswal continued to make 74 to put his side well in command.

But Jaiswal was dismissed at the start of the 18th over and Lucknow completed a dramatic turnaround as Avesh Khan defended nine from the last over.

Suryavanshi became the youngest player to be signed for the IPL when he was picked up at the auction after a bidding war last year.

He made headlines last October when he, also aged 13, scored a 58-ball century for India Under-19s in a Youth Test against Australia Under-19s in Chennai.

Suryavanshi was also part of India’s Under-19 Asia Cup squad last year. There he scored 176 runs at an average of 44.

He plays first-class cricket for Bihar, a state in eastern India where he grew up, and made his debut aged 12 last January.

Rothesay County Championship Division One, 1st Central County Ground, Hove (day two)

Sussex 435: Haines 174; Atkinson 4-120

Surrey 90-1: Sibley 40*; Robinson 1-22

Surrey (2 pts) trail Sussex (3 pts) by 345 runs

Sussex opener Tom Haines struck 174 as the batters continued to dominate in their County Championship Division One game against Surrey.

Haines batted for seven and a half hours to anchor the Sussex first innings of 435 all out.

This followed his 141 in his side’s resounding victory over Somerset last week.

When he was bowled, getting an inside edge onto his leg stump from a delivery from Gus Atkinson, bowling round the wicket, the left-hander had faced 286 balls and struck 18 fours, adding 180 for the third wicket with Tom Alsop (63).

But for all his great efforts on the second day of the match between the county champions and the current joint leaders, it might be Surrey who reached the close of play the happier side.

On their travels they have become accustomed to being presented with flat pitches and this was another one, a slow, low piece of turf that drew the teeth from the fast bowlers.

Surrey bowled with more control than they had shown on the opening day.

But on an even flatter pitch and with a softer ball they struggled for penetration.

Instead, they opted for containment, and were so successful in their plan that Sussex scored just 208 runs in 79. 2 overs, at a run-rate of 2. 62, losing eight wickets in the process as they slogged to fielders and picking up just three batting points.

Atkinson, in his first match of the season, took four wickets but Matt Fisher was the pick of the bowlers, achieving unexpected bounce on occasions and often beating the bat.

On a pitch offering occasional uneven bounce, wicketkeeper Ben Foakes was outstanding in conceding a single bye.

Sussex resumed on 227-2 and scored 78 runs in the 34 overs before lunch.

Atkinson bowled consistently short of a length from the sea end and Jordan Clark bowled with fine discipline from the Cromwell Road end.

Haines, who started on 89, reached his century when he drove Jordan Clark through the overs for a single and then Alsop reached his second fifty of the season.

Surrey broke through after 75 minutes when Alsop flicked a leg-side delivery from Fisher to Dan Worrall at deep square-leg.

Sussex lost their fourth wicket at 302 when James Coles hooked a short one from Atkinson and Fisher took a tumbling catch at long leg.

After lunch John Simpson, the in-form Sussex skipper, hinted at a greater urgency until he pulled Atkinson straight to midwicket and the long vigil by Haines ended on 379.

Sussex did not have the runs they wanted and Danny Lamb, who retired hurt after being struck on the right arm by the impressive Clark, returned in obvious pain to give Fynn Hudson-Prentice late support after Ollie Robinson had thrown his wicket away.

When Surrey batted Rory Burns, playing no stroke, had his off stump plucked out by Robinson and they ended on 90-1.

The possibility of a “toxic Tynecastle”, fans “voting with their feet” and questions being asked of head coach Neil Critchley amid a battle to stay clear of relegation trouble.

The implications of Hearts’ Scottish Cup semi-final defeat by Aberdeen have the potential to run deep no matter how brave their display was in the face of much Hampden adversity.

Former Tynecastle striker and manager John Robertson suggested the game “kind of sums up the season” for Hearts.

“Close but not quite close enough,” he said on Sportsound. “Close to getting into the knockout stages of the Conference League, close to getting into the top six, close to getting it to penalties today, but not quite close enough. “

However, Robertson thought there was little more Critchley could have done, given Hearts were reduced to 10 men just before the break – when Michael Steinwender was sent off for a professional foul – then Cammy Devlin picked a second yellow card shortly before the Oday Dabbagh’s late winner.

“The first red, you couldn’t really argue,” he said. “The second, there’s no intent from Devlin, he’s just trying to hook the ball away and can’t see the Aberdeen player.

“They went to a 5-3-1, defended bravely and had sporadic attacks. It looked like they would get to the penalty kicks, but it was just pure numbers in the end.

“For the amount of bravery and effort they put in, they didn’t get what they deserved. Aberdeen weren’t particularly great today, but they are through. “

Fellow pundit Leanne Crichton agreed with Robertson’s pre-match suggestion that Tynecastle “could become a very toxic place until the end of the season”.

“For Hearts, it’s a real sucker punch after also not making the top six,” the former Scotland midfielder said. “A lot of home fans might decide to vote with their feet. “

BBC Scotland chief sports writer Tom English thought there were “nuances” to Hearts’ latest failure.

“I feel for Hearts because they emptied themselves with 10 men, then nine. They defended heroically for much of the afternoon.

Critchley gave a confident “yes” when asked if he will be given time to steer his Hearts side to the “positive future” he envisages.

His team head into the five remaining bottom six league games on the back of four games without a victory.

“It really hurts,” the head coach told BBC Scotland. “Gutted for the players, gutted for the supporters.

“I thought we were brilliant. We were the better team in the first half and then to defend as well as we did for as long as we did with 10 men, I thought we showed real grit and character.

“The least we deserved was to take it to penalties. “

One more point and they would have had an outside chance of European qualification, but last week’s goalless draw with Motherwell means they are now only six points clear of Dundee in the relegation play-off spot.

“I am not concerned because I see what we’ve got in the dressing room,” Critchley insisted. “We are gutted right now, but we’ve got more than enough fight and character to be fine.

Critchley thought decisions by referee John Beaton turned the game.

Steinwender was ordered off for tripping Topi Keskinen some 45 yards from goal as he tore towards the Hearts box and Devlin was shown a second yellow shortly before Aberdeen’s extra-time winner.

“I have to be careful because I’ll get into trouble, but the red came out very quickly and he was a long way from the goal,” Critchley said of the first-half dismissal.

“The second one has cost us the opportunity to go to penalties. Cammy shouldn’t have been booked initially, then the second one, the player just gets in front of him. The referee has to show a bit of understanding of the situation. “

Hearts goalkeeper Craig Gordon, who scored a first half own goal when Pape Gueye’s header struck him after cannoning against the bar, agreed.

“We’re pretty angry,” he said. “I thought we were doing well. We were going to take it to penalty kicks and take our chances there.

“Unfortunately, the big moment comes from a second yellow card for Cammy. I feel a little bit let down by that, but he’s got that split second to make that decision.

“The referee felt that was a yellow card. We obviously don’t. “

Critchley insists that “one game can’t change a strategy” as he looks to the longer term.

With four teams below them, Hearts should have enough of a cushion to avoid that relegation play-off, but they must dust themselves down quickly.