Depressingly familiar feeling for Tartan Army

After 23 years of waiting, Scotland fans quickly reacquainted themselves with a familiar and unwanted feeling – crushing disappointment at a major finals.

All the factors that have brought heartache for the Tartan Army in 10 previous major tournaments were on show against the Czechs.

An inspired opposition keeper, misfortune, missed chances, hitting the woodwork and inexplicable self-implosion to gift a goal.

The cumulative effect was all so depressingly familiar for supporters of a certain vintage.

For that lost generation within the Tartan Army who had not experienced Scotland playing at a major tournament it was an immediate introduction to the pain of supporting their country – a bitter blow that the positive build-up could not have predicted.

It is far from over in Euro 2020 for the Scots, though, as three points was enough for both Northern Ireland and eventual winners Portugal to qualify from their groups in 2016.

However, the Scots have a mountain of Everest proportions to climb to get that win which is the absolute minimum requirement, with games against England and 2016 World Cup finalists Croatia.

Scotland put everything into this game. Their commitment, workrate and passion could not be questioned.

However, at this level you need to take chances and not gift goals. Scotland were guilty of both and it cost them.

Scotland had enough chances to get at least a point from this Group D opener but their cutting edge in attack deserted them when it mattered most.

For years that lack of goal threat had been Scotland’s Achilles’ heel, but with Lyndon Dykes and Che Adams in the squad that problem looked to have been fixed.

You get the sense Scotland could still be playing deep into the evening and still wouldn’t score. It was one of those frustrating days that have become so familiar for the Scots at a finals.

The day began with a setback when Kieran Tierney was ruled out with a calf injury.

Skipper Andy Robertson and Tierney combine for one of the strongest left sides in the tournament.

With the loss of Tierney that flank was punctured and the Arsenal man’s propulsive runs from deep could have been Scotland’s secret weapon at Euro 2020.

Leeds United captain Liam Cooper was defensively resolute and produced key challenges, but the energy of Tierney was a miss.

For all Robertson’s positive play, he was caught out for the opener when left exposed in no-man’s land as a through-ball found Tomas Vladimir Coufal breaking past the Scots’ skipper.

Coufal’s cross found Patrik Schick, who rose between Hanley and Cooper to head home. You sense had Tierney been playing such is his understanding with Robertson that gaping hole would not have opened up on the flank.

In that moment the impressive play of Hanley and Cooper evaporated when the centre-backs let Schick get in between them to score.

The Scots also became over-reliant on the Liverpool full-back’s deliveries and it became too one-dimensional.

Tierney’s absence wasn’t the only shock as Stuart Armstrong was pitched in ahead of Callum McGregor and Ryan Christie was given the nod as an attacking foil for Lyndon Dykes ahead of Che Adams.

That lasted 45 minutes until Clarke, with the Scots trailing 1-0, replaced Christie with Adams at half-time.

It was harsh on Christie who had put in a power of work in support of Dykes who had given centre-backs Ondrej Celustka and Tomas Kalas a bruising time.

Then a weak shot from Jack Hendry broke to Schick, who couldn’t believe his luck when he was unmarked, looked up and saw keeper David Marshall was 35 yards out of his goal.

There was no luck, however, about Schick’s sublime finish as he shaped a world class shot from just inside the Scots’ half that dipped in at the near corner.

When a keeper is that far out of his goal he’d better be able to get back quickly, but Marshall couldn’t.

The burning question is why was he so far out of his goal? Scotland do not play a system that requires that. The hero of the penalty shoot-out against Serbia in Belgrade made a bad judgment call and it cost Scotland.

It will take a monumental effort if this Scotland squad is to make history by becoming the first to qualify from a group at a major tournament.

Still the Tartan Army hopes. They say it’s the hope that kills you.

It’s heads-in-hands time again for Scotland supporters.