Joy then familiar sting of crushing dejection
WORLD CUP QUALIFYING Pulsating six-minute spell encapsulated all that it is to be a Scotland fan. By Graeme Macpherson
THIS was the recent history of the Scottish national team shrunk into a bitesized, six-minute synopsis. Disappointment, hope, delirium, disbelief, optimism, and then crushing dejection once more; such was the bewildering array of emotions that swept over the Hampden crowd during an incredible and pulsating conclusion to this World Cup qualifying tie against England that it was not a surprise to see many stumble out at full-time with stunned, almost baffled, looks upon their faces. Had that really just happened?
Alas, from a Scottish perspective, it most certainly had. Home fans would surely have accepted a 2-2 draw with England if offered it beforehand but just not like this. Trailing to Alex OxladeChamberlain’s goal and with just three minutes of the game remaining, Gordon Strachan and his players appeared to be staring down the barrel at a defeat that would have ended any lingering prospect of reaching next year’s finals.
Then came six of the most remarkable minutes ever witnessed at this famous old ground. Gary Cahill chopped down substitute Ryan Fraser about 25 yards from goal to start the sequence off. Both Stuart Armstrong and Leigh Griffiths stood over it but it was latter who fancied it more, confidently sweeping over a leftfoot shot that arced over the defensive wall to Joe Hart’s left. The Celtic striker knew it was in as the ball cleared the wall, his first international goal secured at the 13th attempt.
He was not finished there, however. Three minutes later, substitute Chris Martin tumbled dramatically over Jake Livermore who had slipped to the ground. It was the same distance as the previous free-kick but slightly more central. Then came the mind games. Would Griffiths put it in the same place? He didn’t. His kick was again true but this time sent to Hart’s right. Again, the goalkeeper could not get close to it and, somehow, with 90 minutes on the clock, Scotland looked set to hand England their first defeat in a qualifier for eight years. The drama was not over, however. Not by a long shot. Midway through the four minutes of allotted injury time, England won a free-kick on the edge of the Scotland box. Craig Gordon parried Eric Dier’s strike, the ball was thudded clear and Scotland had the chance of a breakaway.
Stuart Armstrong, though, chose the wrong pass and it would prove the most costly of interceptions. The ball was worked wide to Raheem Sterling, and his deep and searching cross evaded the Scottish defence and Gordon but not Harry Kane.
The Tottenham striker had endured a barren afternoon but in the midst of the frenzy, he managed to retain his composure to sidefoot his volley beyond the goalkeeper. The final whistle sounded not long after and these two old rivals had somehow shared a draw, one achieved in a thrilling denouement that had temporarily delivered hope to Scotland only
[It] delivered hope only for it to be snatched away. It was like giving a child a balloon only to pull out a pin and pop it
for it be cruelly snatched away just moments later. It was like giving a child a balloon only to pull out a pin and pop it. The draw does not end the chances of making it to Russia next summer but it does not enhance them either.
Scotland will lament the missed opportunity to land a first meaningful win over England since 1985 but, in truth, their overall play had not merited it. Lining up in an unfamiliar 5-4-1 that had Kieran Tierney tucked in alongside Andrew Robertson as a left-sided central defender with Ikechi Anya deployed as the other wingback, Scotland had showed promise at the start of both halves, enjoying 15-minute spells that suggested they were going to be a match for their visitors. On both occasions that confident start would not last.
Scotland claimed the first corner, the first shot, and the first booking, Scott Brown clattering through Dele Alli after just two minutes. It was meant to lay down a marker but had the effect of inhibiting the captain for the rest of the contest. He was perhaps fortunate to see the match out, a second-half thud into the same player surprisingly not deemed worthy of another yellow card.
England were far from brilliant but in possession they looked confident and they ought to have scored before they did. Kane’s looping effort was hacked off the line by Tierney, then he had a second-half header saved, while a Livermore shot pranged the post after a deflection.
The first goal, after 70 minutes was messy, Gordon slashed the ball out for a throw-in after a mixup with Tierney. England worked it to Oxlade-Chamberlain who got the break of the ball before fizzing in a left-foot shot that Gordon should have kept out. For a while, that seemed destined to be the defining moment of the match. Come the end it wasn’t even close.