October 3, 2024. 10.37pm (GMT+4), Sumqayit, Azerbaijan.

Heart of Midlothian led for the first time this season. They would go on to win for the first time in 145 days.

Moments earlier the ball deflected into the Dinamo Minsk box deep into stoppage time. Hearts are, at the time, heading toward their 11th game without a win to start the season.

It is 1-1 in the Conference League opener. The game hasn’t been good. But Hearts look for a winner, aided by Liam Fox's substitutes and by getting the ball in the vicinity of Lawrence Shankland.

Of course, he would be heavily involved in what could prove to be a pivotal moment in the team’s season. 

But, first, that deflected ball. 

Jorge Grant followed it into the box after Shankland had been tackled. He could leave it and take the corner. After all, that’s how Heart of Midlothian scored their equaliser, albeit with a very big and very funny help of the hand. 

Grant doesn’t.

He perhaps considers the fact Shankland will be somewhere in the middle of the box. Maybe he thinks, ‘Why not just stick it in and see what happens?’  He doesn’t look. He wraps his leg around the ball and delivers the perfect cross toward the Hearts captain. As if he knew exactly what he was doing.

Shankland has not had a good season so far. Not by his own lofty standards. But he got off the mark on Saturday and his football intelligence, the awareness was there to see in the Mehdi Huseynzade Stadium.

And to hear. 

Shankland had pulled to the back post. Something of a favourite move when the ball is in a wide position. Look at the two screenshots below. First we can see Shankland assessing the area and then he makes his move with Yan Dhanda taking the defender inside.

Normally such situations lead to an effort at goal from the club's top scorer from the past two seasons.

Yet, in the time between the cross leaving Grant’s boot and landing on Shankland’s head the striker had already weighed up the situation, analysed the positions and made up his mind. He wasn’t shooting and he let Dhanda know.

Watch the goal from the TNT clip below but focus your hearing on the shout just as the ball goes toward Shankland.

‘YAN!’

Shankland had prepared his team mate to be ready. ‘I’m heading this ball back to you and you are going to score,’ the unspoken message. 

Dhanda was ready. He couldn't be better placed but he had to react quickly to guide the ball into the back of the net.

Perhaps it was the shock of scoring with a header. Perhaps it was the confusion that Hearts were about to finally win. But there was a momentary pause as if he didn't know how to celebrate. 

Then Dhanda, Shankland and their team mates let loose. Late into the night, a long way from home.