Aberdeen 1 Celtic 1 (aet, 4-3 on pens) - Mitov saves from McGregor and Johnston as Dons rip up script to rewrite history

CELTIC aimed to create history.

Instead, Aberdeen repeated it.

7 Dimitar Mitov runs up the park to celebrate after saving in the shootout Credit: Willie Vass

7 Callum McGregor gobsmacked as he watches Aberdeen celebrate Credit: Willie Vass

It was back in 1990 that the Dons beat Celtic on penalties to lift the Scottish Cup.

Some 35 years later it was Jimmy Thelin’s modern-day heroes who had the club’s supporters celebrating like yesteryear.

Callum McGregor and Alistair Johnston missed the spot-kicks that denied Brendan Rodgers a third treble.

Yet in truth this was an incredible victory more than it was a defeat.

Few gave Graeme Shinnie and Co hope of preventing Rodgers’ from eclipsing Jock Stein’s record as Celts boss.

But in a dramatic final, the Pittodrie side somehow upset the odds.

Take a bow, min.

You deserved this shock result for sheer guts and determination.

In many ways, it felt like it was meant to be.

Legendary ex-boss Sir Alex Ferguson delivered a video team-talk.

When the Dons equalised, the scoreboard clock showed 83.

Even as Celtic won the toss for the penalties - and took the kicks to their end of the stadium - the red men refused to buckle.

Skipper Shinnie, Dante Polvara, Obay Dabbagh and Ante Palaversa all stepped up to plant their efforts past Kasper Schmeichel.

For the Celtic No1, that summed up his miserable afternoon after a disastrous own goal cancelled out the Celtic opener which was also an OG by Alfie Dorrington.

It just wasn’t Celtic’s day when so many predicted it was a formality.

They took the lead six minutes before half-time and the Dons players can point to how unfortunate the moment was from their point of view.

Thelin couldn’t legislate for a corner being swung into the penalty box with the ball clipping off one of his men in a red shirt and spinning into the net.

What was it all about, Alfie?

Well, there was no point in asking the man responsible because the defender - on loan from Spurs - had no clue.

Dorrington’s was helpless to prevent the ball hitting him on the back and diverting beyond the out-stretched arm of goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov.

There and then, Rodgers and his players would have felt supremely confident that they’d be holding the old trophy by the end of the day.

7 Aberdeen’s Alfie Dorrington celebrates with fans after winning the Scottish Cup Final Credit: Reuters

For all Thelin’s Dons has made it a stuffy game on a stuffy May day, there was zero to suggest the men from the North East could pose anything resembling at an attacking threat after falling 1-0 behind.

Their 5-3-2 set-up was designed purely to nullify Celtic with attacking at the other end almost an afterthought.

That had to change in the second-half - and did.

Aberdeen had to at least make an attempt to get men forward - which, of course, ran the risk of leaving themselves open and vulnerable.

But it was worth the gamble.

Thelin replaced Topi Keskinen with Pape Gueye after an hour and that immediately brought more physicality to their front-line.

Celtic didn’t look particularly worried or concerned that there was anything they’d be asked to contend with that would prevent them from getting their hands on the cup.

They passed and probed like they did before the break and maintained their patience on the ball.

Arne Engels rattled the Dons post in 65 minutes in a moment that could have really settled it.

7 Dimitar Mitov saves penatty from Callum McGregor Credit: Willie Vass

7 Celtic’s Callum McGregor reacts after missing in the penalty shoot-out Credit: PA

It was to be the midfielder’s last involvement with Rodgers making three changes at once in a bid to turn the screw.

The Belgian was taken off along with Idah and Nicolas Kuhn with Luke McCowan, Yang Hyunjun and James Forrest all given the chance they’d been awaiting on.

But Aberdeen still had hope while there was only one goal separating the sides.

After a long discussion with his No2, Peter Leven, Thelin went for it with ten minutes to go in normal time with three more changes - Shayden Morris, Dabbagh and Polvara - given the late rescue mission off the bench.

The was touchline confusion when Ante Palaversa left the pitch - only to be sent back on again - because Dorrington had pulled up injured before the substitutions could be made.

It was chaotic stuff.

But within seconds it was shambolic by Schmeichel as he scored a bizarre OG.

Rapid Dons sub Morris fired across a sensational ball into the box from the right which was begging to be turned into the net by one of his team-mates.

Before any of them could get to it, though, the Celtic goalkeeper somehow slapped it into his own net.

7 Dimitar Mitov saves Celtic’s Alistair Johnston’s penalty during the penalty shootout Credit: Reuters

7 Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers after the Scottish Gas Men’s Scottish Cup final Credit: PA

It was horrendous from the great Dane.

The Dons support went wild and it was hard to blame them.

They needed a sensational save from Mitov to deny Daizen Maeda in the dying seconds of normal time.

But Thelin’s side deserved to take it to extra-time.

Celts lost James Forrest to an injury in the first period, with kid Johnny Kenny, stripped for action.

Right at the start of the second period, Polvara had a chance to grab the glory goal but blasted over the top.

At the other end, Jeffrey Schlupp smashed a shot off the crossbar to be denied what would have been a sensational winner.

Gueye then shot straight at Schmeichel.

But it was to be settled on spot-kicks with the Aberdeen celebrations starting the moment Mitov denied McGregor and then Johnston - and lasted late into the night and beyond.

Aberdeen XI: Mitov, Devlin, Knoester, Milne, Dorrington, Jensen, Shinnie, Clarkson, Palaversa, Keskinen, Nisbet. Subs: Doohan, MacKenzie, Polvara, Dabbagh, Gueue, Morris, Tobers, Boyd

Mitov, Devlin, Knoester, Milne, Dorrington, Jensen, Shinnie, Clarkson, Palaversa, Keskinen, Nisbet. Doohan, MacKenzie, Polvara, Dabbagh, Gueue, Morris, Tobers, Boyd Celtic XI vs Aberdeeen: Schmeichel, Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Taylor, McGregor, Engels, Bernardo, Kuhn, Maeda, Idah. Subs: Sinisalo, Trusty, Yang, McCowan, Schlupp, Kenny, Forest, Ralston

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