Aberdeen struck in the dying minutes of extra-time to defeat Hearts 2-1 and reach the Scottish Cup final at Hampden Park.
Oday Dabbagh was the Dons’ hero after coming off the bench to net a 118th minute winner in a game which the Jambos finished with nine men.
The Dons took the lead just after the quarter-hour mark courtesy of a Craig Gordon own goal, however Hearts skipper Lawrence Shankland levelled just 10 minutes later.
Aberdeen were handed a significant boost just before half-time when Hearts defender Michael Steinwender was shown a straight red card for denying Topi Keskinen a goalscoring opportunity.
The Reds made hard work of the tie for the remainder of the 90 minutes along with much of the subsequent extra-time.
Hearts were further rocked with four minutes of extra-time remaining when Cammy Devlin was shown a second booking for a foul on Dante Polvara.
Within moments, the Reds took full advantage when Dabbagh thumped home from close-range after the ball broke loose inside the box.
The Dons will now return to the national stadium to face either Celtic or St Johnstone on May 24.
The Dons had seen off lower league opposition on their route to the semi-final, having defeated Elgin City, Dunfermline and Queen’s Park.
Jimmy Thelin prompted intrigue over his selection 24 hours before the tie when he confirmed Dimitar Mitov, Gavin Molloy and Jamie McGrath were available following long-term injuries.
The Dons boss’ big call came in the form of recalling goalkeeper Mitov in place of Ross Doohan, in the only change from the 2-2 draw with Rangers the previous week.
Mitov made a shaky start to his first action since Bulgaria’s 2-1 defeat to Republic of Ireland on March 20. His first touch of the ball was followed by a loose pass straight to Beni Baningime, while moments later he flapped at a James Penrice cross which presented a big opportunity for Jamie McCart, who could not hit the target.
The Jambos began to play with confidence following their promising start, with the Edinburgh outfit dominating the first 15 minutes, but unable to capitalise on some dangerous deliveries.
Aberdeen made a clinical breakthrough on 19 minutes. Leighton Clarkson’s inswinging corner was bulleted goalwards by the head of Pape Gueye, coming off the underside of the crossbar before rebounding off the back of the unfortunate Gordon and over the line.
The goal looked to have settled the Dons, with Keskinen flashing an effort wide following a Gueye flick-on, while Gueye was denied a second by an excellent defensive intervention by McCart as he tried to meet a Shayden Morris cross.
Hearts restored parity on 28 minutes during a period when the Dons had been on top. Shankland was left unmarked after Graeme Shinnie unsuccessfully tried to thwart a James Penrice cross, with the Jambos skipper rifling a low drive through the legs of Mitov.
Hearts took an initial lift but the Dons were handed a huge boost on the stroke of half-time when Keskinen’s run through on goal was halted by Steinwender who was the last covering defender, with John Beaton showing little hesitation before brandishing a red card.
For the second week in succession the Dons would play the entirety of the second half against 10 men. Having failed to see out the victory against Rangers the previous week, could they get over the line on this occasion?
Neil Critchley signalled his intention to do a containing job on the Dons at the interval, with forwards Elton Kabangu and James Wilson sacrificed for central defenders Frankie Kent and Craig Halkett, in a switch to a 5-3-1 formation.
The Dons took time to press home their numerical advantage, although Gueye came close shortly after the break when he glanced a header inches wide from an Ante Palaversa cross.
Thelin made his first tweak on 69 minutes when McGrath was brought on to replace Palaversa, in his first outing since a goalless draw against the Jambos in January.
The Dons began to push for the winner as the game entered the final 15 minutes, with Keskinen seeing a cutback thwarted, while Clarkson saw a deflected effort spin just wide of Gordon’s goal.
Jeppe Okkels and Dabbagh were introduced to the action, with Gueye and Keskinen making way.
At no point did Aberdeen’s big chance arrive however, with the bulk of their late offerings coming from long-range, with McGrath unable to hit the target with two efforts.
Thelin made another tweak at the beginning of extra-time, with Dante Polvara brought on to replace the tiring Morris.
The American provided the first goal threat after the restart, nodding well over from Okkels’ delivery.
Kevin Nisbet registered only the Dons’ second shot on target on 103 minutes, when he struck straight at Gordon from a quickly worked free-kick.
The Dons upped the ante, with Gordon doing brilliantly to hold on to a low Dabbagh strike following a cutback from Shinnie.
Another big chance fell the way of Alexander Jensen in the second half of extra-time, when he sidefooted a volley wide from Shinnie’s cross.
Penalties looked inevitable however the Dons were handed another boost four minutes from the end of extra-time when Devin was shown a second booking for hauling down Polvara on the edge of the box.
The decisive moment came moments later when Jack Milne saw his effort parried by Gordon after latching on to McGrath’s cross, with Dabbagh on hand to ram home the rebound high into the net.
That sparked ecstatic celebrations in the Reds end, with Aberdeen now 90 minutes away from ending their 35-year wait to lift the Scottish Cup in Thelin’s first season in charge.
Player ratings
HEARTS (4-1-2-3): Gordon 7; Forrester 5 (Kingsley 78), Steinwender 5, McCart 6, Penrice 7; Baningime 6 (Spittal 116); Devlin 6, Grant 6 (Kartum 87); Wilson 5 (Kent 46), Shankland 7 (Drammeh 113), Kabangu 5 (Halkett 46).
Subs not used: Fulton, Forrest.
ABERDEEN (4-2-3-1): Mitov 6; Jensen 7 (Boyd 117), Dorrington 6 (107), Knoester 6, Shinnie 7; Clarkson 6, Palaversa 6 (McGrath 69); Morris 6 (Polvara 91), Nisbet 6, Keskinen 7 (Okkels 81); Gueye 7 (Dabbagh 81).
Subs not used: Doohan, Devlin.
Referee: John Beaton
Man of the match: Graeme Shinnie
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