Celtic claim record 56th Scottish title with dramatic late comeback against Hearts
Celtic netted two goals in the dying moments to secure a 3-1 home victory over Heart of Midlothian in a tense final-day championship decider, claiming their record 56th Scottish title on Saturday.
As the clock wound down and Hearts edged closer to capturing their first championship in 66 years, Daizen Maeda and Callum Osmand delivered the crushing blows to the visiting side who required merely a draw to claim top spot.
As Osmand surged forward to slot into an unguarded net with essentially the final touch of added time, chaos erupted with ecstatic Celtic supporters flooding onto the playing surface.
This marked the 14th occasion in 15 campaigns that Celtic have captured the championship, yet none proved as challenging as this one given they sat behind Hearts in the table from early October onwards before experiencing a renaissance following Martin O'Neill's return as interim boss in January, culminating in seven straight wins.
"This is the most special place on Earth," O'Neill, 74, who has now won four league titles with Celtic, including three in the early 2000s during a five-year reign, said on the pitch.
He also had a word for his opposite number Derek McInnes.
"They are really the big story of the season, they deserve all the credit."
Celtic full back Kieran Tierney described his feeling as unbelievable.
"This season has been mental," he told Sky Sports. "We never give up and this team is the most mentally strong team I've ever been involved with. This is the best thing I've ever won."
For Celtic skipper Callum McGregor it was his 11th Scottish title and he paid tribute to O'Neill.
"He dragged us through time and time again," he said. "What a season. Everyone wrote us off."
Heartbreak strikes Hearts on championship finale
Devastation engulfed Hearts who endured identical misfortune to four decades earlier when they similarly surrendered the championship on the final matchday to Celtic following a defeat to Dundee despite requiring only a single point.
For the first occasion since 1991 the Scottish championship reached a final-day shootout between the leading two clubs with Parkhead generating an electric, pressure-cooker environment.
The away side dominated the opening period and appeared destined for triumph when an unchallenged Lawrence Shankland directed a header home from a Stephen Kingsley set piece in the 43rd minute.
However, Celtic drew level in first-half injury time when Alexandros Kyziridis was deemed by VAR to have halted a Tierney delivery with his hand, allowing Arne Engels to convert from 12 yards.
Celtic surged forward relentlessly as the closing whistle loomed and shortly after Kelechi Iheanacho rattled the woodwork, Maeda found the net from point-blank range only for the assistant's flag to be raised. Following a tense VAR review, the strike was validated.
Hearts, who had occupied the summit for 226 consecutive days from early October, attempted to mount a response in added time with one final frantic push that saw every player advance for a set piece.
When possession fell to Celtic, and with Hearts custodian Alexander Schwolow caught upfield, Osmand drove the ball halfway across the turf toward a mass of jubilant supporters in green to confirm the championship.
It proved catastrophic for Hearts who came agonizingly close to becoming the first club beyond Celtic or Rangers to capture the Scottish championship since Aberdeen in 1985.
They will undoubtedly reflect, with legitimate grievance, on the disputed injury-time spot kick that Celtic converted to edge Motherwell 3-2 on Wednesday, a outcome that shifted momentum back toward the Glasgow powerhouse.
Had that encounter finished level, Celtic would have needed a three-goal margin on Saturday.
SportsLigue
