Zdrilic strike ends Celtic's run

Celtic 1 Aberdeen

Aberdeen did last night what Barcelona, Juventus and Bayern Munich failed to as they went to Parkhead and shattered Celtic's unbeaten record with a dramatic winner in stoppage time from David Zdrilic.

Steve Paterson's young side claimed a famous victory as Celtic's tiring season caught up with them and Zdrilic pounced on a long ball to elude Paul Lambert and fire a low shot past David Marshall.

The championship may have been sealed four days earlier but Celtic will be unhappy at surrendering their 77-game record after Henrik Larsson put them in front after 15 minutes.

Lambert's header in midfield was helped on by Momo Sylla and Larsson escaped his markers to beat Aberdeen's offside trap, waiting for goalkeeper David Preece to come out before stroking a left-foot finish beyond him from just inside the box.

Aberdeen were indebted to Preece for denying Larsson a second just before the interval as the Celtic striker raced clear again but Preece dived bravely at his feet.

However, Parkhead was silenced in the 55th minute when Bryan Prunty equalised for Aberdeen by finishing off a surging counter-attack. Zdrilic released Scott Muirhead on the left and the teenage winger's low cross eluded the Celtic back three, but not Prunty who arrived at the back post and bundled his shot past Marshall to punish his old club.

Celtic responded with a furious assault on Preece's goal that saw Larsson and Liam Miller go close with a header and half-volley before Aberdeen contributed two goal-line clearances to preserve parity.

The first, from Paul Sheerin, kept out Sylla's effort and then Richard Buckley swept Miller's impressive shot off the line as he covered behind Preece as Celtic penned them in for a furious finale.

Celtic (3-5-2): Marshall; Varga, McManus (Miller, 67), McNamara (Balde, 50); Agathe (Smith, 46), Lambert, Lennon, Petrov, Wallace; Sylla, Larsson. Substitutes not used: McGovern (gk), Beattie.

Aberdeen (4-3-3): Preece; Buckley, Rutkiewicz, Higgins, Morrison; Tosh (Prunty, 23), Heikkinen, Sheerin; Foster, Zdrilic, Muirhead. Substitutes not used: Esson (gk), Souter, Stewart, Donald.

Referee: I Brines (Sco).