It was supposed to be the greatest day in the history of Heart of Midlothian FC. Instead, it became one of the most heartbreaking moments Scottish football has ever seen.
After spending almost the entire season at the top of the Scottish Premiership table, Hearts saw their dream of winning a first league title in more than six decades collapse on the final day of the campaign.
Celtic FC defeated Hearts 3-1 at Celtic Park in a dramatic title decider. Now Celtic sits at the league top with 82 points against Hearts with 80 points, snatching the trophy away in the closing minutes.
The Edinburgh club had led the league for around 250 days and only needed a draw to make history by ending the Old Firm dominance that had controlled Scottish football for more than 40 years.
Hearts supporters believed the dream was becoming reality when captain Lawrence Shankland gave the visitors the lead just before halftime.
But Celtic responded through a penalty from Arne Engels before the break.
As the second half continued, Hearts looked set to hold on for the result they needed. However, in the 86th minute, Japanese forward Daizen Maeda scored the goal that changed everything.
The strike broke Hearts’ resistance and crushed the hopes of thousands of fans. Celtic later added a third goal in stoppage time to seal the title.
For many football fans, the story has been compared to some of the cruellest title collapses in football history.
Hearts were only minutes away from ending a 66-year wait for the league crown and breaking Celtic and Rangers’ long-standing grip on Scottish football.
