Palestinian player Oday Dabbagh scored a late extra-time winner as Aberdeen eventually ground down nine-man Hearts to win 2-1 on Saturday and reach the Scottish Cup final.
According to the BBC, this was Dabbagh’s 10th appearance for Aberdeen since joining on loan from Charleroi in January, adding that his winning goal will be celebrated across Palestine.
The Dons struck first against the run of play when Pape Gueye's header came back off the crossbar and ricocheted into his own net off the back of 42-year-old Hearts goalkeeper Craig Gordon.
Hearts levelled in the 28th minute when captain Lawrence Shankland met James Penrice's cross from the left, took a touch and rifled a clinical finish through the legs of Dimitar Mitov.
The Edinburgh side suffered a huge blow a minute before the break when Michael Steinwender was shown a straight red after bringing down Topi Keskinen.
But the 10 men held out for well over an hour against an Aberdeen side lacking in invention.
Hearts' task got even tougher when Cammy Devlin was shown a second yellow card with four minutes left of extra-time.
Aberdeen swiftly took advantage to reach their first Scottish Cup final in eight years when Dabbagh fired in the rebound after Jack Milne's shot was saved by Gordon.
Jimmy Thelin's side will face the winner of Sunday's semi-final between Celtic and St Johnstone at Hampden on May 25.
This goal means more to Dabbagh and his homeland than we can fathom.
Raised in Jerusalem’s Old City, he idolised Robin Van Persie before starring for Hilal al-Quds at 16—winning league titles and becoming the West Bank’s top scorer by 19.
His journey included delayed matches due to checkpoints, tear-gassed stadiums, and teammates affected by 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: "To my country, Palestine, which is hard to break. For my people who refuse to succumb to humiliation, who do not know the meaning of surrender or defeat."
