Dundee United finished third in the Scottish Premiership, earning a coveted European berth. They did it in dramatic fashion with a stunning late 2-1 comeback win over Aberdeen on Saturday. Dundee United’s win sent them above Aberdeen and into fourth place. Having occupied such a pivotal role, this important figure continues to open the door for future involvement with the UEFA Europa League’s qualifying rounds.
The match was played at Tannadice Park, home of Dundee United against an out of sorts Aberdeen team. Aberdeen had perhaps the worst possible build-up to this key encounter. Prior to the trip, they had dropped three straight matches, including an embarrassing 5-1 beatdown by Celtic. United contrived to finish the season with four straight defeats after the split in an unsatisfactory ending to a difficult campaign. It was a critical match for their hopes.
Aberdeen came out firing, establishing a 1–0 lead within the first 15 minutes. Jeppe Okkels, who joined Aberdeen on loan from Preston in January, scored his first goal for the club. The movement started when Leighton Clarkson picked out captain Graeme Shinnie charging down the left with a perfectly weighted ball. Despite Dundee United’s defence clearing the ball poorly at first, Okkels pounced on the error as he sent the visitors up 1-0 early on.
Even after that setback, Dundee United put up a fight—much to their credit in a turbulent first half. Jamie McGrath came close to equalizing when his shot struck the crossbar, resulting in a frantic scramble that ultimately saw Aberdeen survive unscathed. Dundee United narrowly missed a second when Sam Dalby jumped highest to nod home a Sevelj delivery. Sadly, his effort just missed the mark as the squad continued to search for their groove.
It didn’t take long for the match to swing the other way, as Dundee United came out flying to start the second half. In the 56th minute, Declan Gallagher headed home from a corner kick to level the match. He brilliantly linked up with a Middleton cross-field corner, jumping the highest to nod it home. This goal was a huge boost of belief to the Dundee United supporters and swung all the momentum directly in their favor.
It would be a penalty that provided the breakthrough, and it was a big moment as Sam Dalby stepped up to bury a 62nd minute spot-kick. A dubious foul in the box resulted in a penalty kick. Dalby’s composed finish gave Dundee United the lead (2-1) and he finished with confidence. This strike gave Dundee United the goal to take them into the lead. It illustrated their will to fight through recent adversity.
Aberdeen’s goalkeeper, Dimitar Mitov, displayed skill with a solid save against Sam Cleall-Harding’s long-range effort just before halftime. It wasn’t enough to stop Dundee United’s comeback in the second half. The hosts were still searching for more goals. Kristijan Trapanovski almost made it three but his header went high and wide from only six yards.
As a result of this win, Dundee United would end the league campaign in fourth position, ensuring a potential European qualification next term. Aberdeen are still in the hunt for their own European qualification. If they can manage to defeat Celtic in the Scottish Cup final next week, they would be able to retake that coveted position.
Leave a Reply