A long title drought has come to an end for FC Aberdeen after more than three decades. The Dons beat Celtic in a close final to become Scottish FA Cup champions.
“I’m happy, relieved, tired, and I’m going to enjoy this evening! I’m feeling a lot of emotions right now,” said Aberdeen coach Jimmy Thelin after winning the Scottish FA Cup, describing his feelings. It was truly a historic day for FC Aberdeen, who came out on top in a close final against Celtic Glasgow, winning 4-3 on penalties (final score after 120 minutes: 1-1).
According to the Swedish coach, the secret to success was: “All week long, we tried to imagine how we could win this game and instill that belief in the team.”
Two own goals in regular time
And that belief seemed to have been instilled. In front of a sold-out crowd at Glasgow’s Hampden Park, Celtic took a 1-0 lead through an own goal by Alfie Dorrington (39th minute), but Aberdeen did not give up and equalized in the 83rd minute, also through an own goal. This time, goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel was the unlucky player on the Celtic side.
At the end of regular time, the score was still level, but extra time failed to produce a winner. Instead, the game went to penalties, where Aberdeen goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov became the hero. The Bulgarian saved shots from Callum McGregor and Alistair Johnston to help the Dons to victory.
Thelin full of praise for the team
“Celtic are a really good team, Brendan is a really great coach, but the way our players competed out there today, the way they defended together, they had cramps, they were tired, but they kept believing, and I’m so proud of how they also used the energy of our fans who traveled here today,” Thelin raved about his team.
Aberdeen went the “extra mile for each other” and were also strong in the penalty shootout. The Swede sent everyone off with the words: “I think you have to be allowed to dream big, that’s important.”
Eighth cup win in club history
For Aberdeen, it is their first major title in 35 years, with the Dons last winning the trophy in 1990. It is also the eighth cup win in the club’s history. Aberdeen last reached the Scottish FA Cup final in the 2016/17 season. Their opponents were also Celtic, but on that occasion the green and whites came out on top (1-2).
Aberdeen has not been completely without silverware since 1990, however, celebrating two League Cup successes, one in 1995/96 and one in 2013/14. However, this trophy does not carry as much weight as the FA Cup, as only four rounds are played.