A familiar story but with a very unfamiliar end
Clarke’s heroes put fans through the usual torment but finally end long wait Emotional Robertson salutes his team-mates
ON the most Scottish of nights, the most Scottish of nights. But thanks to David Marshall, the most un-Scottish of endings. As the skies opened over Belgrade, the Tartan Army – so many miles away at home – ascended into heaven.
There had been nothing glorious about the 23 years of failure that followed Scotland to Serbia where their supporters could not, but the phrase that has haunted this team – this nation – for over two decades and beyond, has finally been shaken off by Steve Clarke and his band of heroes.
The overriding feelings of joy, relief and euphoria were accompanied by the shaking of heads in living rooms all over the country as Scotland’s long-suffering supporters took to social media to express
SCOTLAND captain Andy Robertson last night fought back tears to hail his Scotland team-mates as heroes after their nail-biting penalty shootout win over Serbia in the Euro 2020 play-off final.
Steve Clarke’s side dominated the match in the Rajko Mitic Stadum and took a deserved second-half lead through a Ryan Christie strike. disbelief and the almost universal feeling that it was all so unlike us. But then again, was it?
This Scotland team have now gone nine games unbeaten in a run lasting over a year. How unlike us.
They controlled the 90 minutes from start to finish, and although it eventually took the excruciating spectacle of a nerve-shredding penalty shootout, they deserved their place at Euro 2020 by the length of Sauchiehall Street.
So too there was nothing serendipitous about Luka Jovic’s equaliser to Ryan Christie’s opener, no fates that conspire uniquely against our nation. It was terrible defending from Scott McTominay, plain and simple.
But that aside, each man was superb. From the imperious Declan Gallagher at the centre of the defence, who had the much feared Aleksander Mitrovic so deep in his pocket the Fulham man will be in need of a lint roller, to Callum McGregor who controlled the game in front of him with perhaps his best
However, they conceded a last-minute equaliser to substitute Luka Jovic and then had to defend for their lives in extra-time to take the match to spot kicks.
Leigh Griffiths, Callum McGregor, Scott McTominay, Oliver McBurnie and Kenny McLean all converted from 12 yards.
And when goalkeeper David Marshall denied Aleksandar Mitrovic the national team finally
Scotland performance on his 25th cap.
From Christie who came up with the piece of magic to break the deadlock to Lyndon Dykes up top, who won every single ball that came near him with both the frequency and the determination of a dog set loose on a Sunday league pitch. How unlike us.
Scotland bossed the early stages, looking calm, composed and in total control of the situation. A rumour started circulating online that Nike had dropped Michael Jordan from their promotional campaigns and were instead launching a new range of Air Lyndons.
Not that Scotland were solely relying on long balls, There was a zip and a zest about their passing on the slick surface. Each man was comfortable in possession and had time and space to do as they pleased on the ball. How unlike us.
It was over 20 minutes before Serbia showed anything, and it was a reminder for Scotland not to rest on their laurels as Dusan Tadic arrowed a shot just wide from the edge of the
qualified for their first major tournament finals since France ’98.
“There was so much emotion going into the game,” said Robertson. “You get so close and they end up equalising. You have to pick yourself up in extra-time which we did without creating much.
“When it goes to penalties you always back Marshy and it’s just about whether the lads can hold their nerve and they managed to do it.
“We have come so far as a squad and I am proud of everyone at the moment. They have been through a lot, a lot of criticism, a lot of negativity at times. We have stuck together and we have battled through it.
“I really hope everyone back home can see the positive side of this because we are absolutely delighted and I hope at a really tough time we have put a smile on a lot of peo- ple’s faces.”
He added: “In the 90 minutes we were comfortable. It was one of the best 90 minutes I have been involved in with Scotland. area. Admittedly, that was a little more like us.
If anything, it was something of a comfort though, as the whole experience to that point was a little discombobulating. If anything, nerves had been subsiding since the first whistle, and it was no bad thing to be jolted out of our comfort zone.
Not that the players were slacking. Scotland were
“It is always hard near the end. They had eight or nine men in the box and it is hard to pick out five or six. Unfortunately, we lost a man. It just shows you the strengths that we’ve got to come back from that. A lot of people would maybe have crumbled, but we stuck together.
“I can’t wait for the summer now. It’s the most emotional I have been after a game. I am so proud of all of them.” Robertson, the Liverpool leftback, admitted he was relieved when Mar