# Aberdeen end 35-year Scottish Cup wait by beating Celtic on penalties

Event date: 2025-05-24

Aberdeen won the Scottish Cup after a tense final against Celtic ended 1-1 and was settled 4-3 on penalties, ending a 35-year wait for the club’s first triumph in the competition since 1990.

BBC Sport reported that the decisive moment in the shootout came from goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov, who saved penalties from Callum McGregor and Alistair Johnston. Those stops proved enough to tilt the final in Aberdeen’s favour after a game that stayed close until the end.

The match had swung both ways before the shootout. Celtic took the lead when Aberdeen’s Alfie Dorrington diverted a corner into his own net, putting the Glasgow club on course for another trophy. But Aberdeen came back late, and a cross from Morris slipped under Kasper Schmeichel to level the final and force extra pressure on both sides.

BBC Sport said Aberdeen had also seen a late chance from Daizen Maeda miss narrowly before the game moved to penalties. That sequence mattered because Celtic had opportunities to settle the final before the shootout, but Aberdeen’s persistence kept them alive long enough to reach the moment that decided the trophy.

The result carried additional weight because it denied Celtic a treble. The source described Aberdeen’s win as a comeback that stopped Celtic from completing another sweep of domestic honours. For Aberdeen, that meant the cup was not only a long-awaited trophy but also a statement result against a dominant opponent.

BBC Sport noted the emotional scale of the day in Aberdeen’s history, with reaction suggesting the win meant far more than the simple outcome of a final. The club had spent decades without the Scottish Cup, and the return to the winner’s podium changed that instantly.

The shootout itself became the defining act of the afternoon. Mitov’s saves turned a final that had already seen swings in momentum into a moment of release for Aberdeen supporters. Celtic had enough possession and enough opportunities to feel they could still win it, but the penalties ended that hope.

The wider context mattered too. Aberdeen had not just matched Celtic over 90 minutes; they had absorbed pressure, found a late equaliser and then handled the decisive phase with more composure. That sequence was enough to turn a difficult final into a historic one.

In the end, the numbers told the story: Aberdeen 1, Celtic 1, Aberdeen 4, Celtic 3 on penalties. The cup went to Aberdeen, the drought ended and the club added a ninth Scottish Cup to its history.