Euro 2024: Scotland
In keeping with a preamble to the Euros that could have been plotted by Quentin Tarantino - such has been the casualty rate in the Scotland squad - the farewell at Hampden on Friday turned into a party without booze, a celebration without song and a game without a win.Craig Gordon’s Hollywood exit turned into one of those B-movie horrors.
In the circumstances - two goals to the good and cruising - the urge, instead, was to ask why not? The game was effectively won. The coast was more or less clear for Gordon’s story to unfold. Hampden was in a happy place.Besides, as Clarke explained afterwards, he didn't want to be the man who denied the goalkeeper his milestone appearance as well as a place in Germany.
He was shown a yellow card, shook his head at the decisions that crashed around his ears and was then beaten from the spot. Romance be damned.Scotland cornered the global market in pre-tournament farewells in the magnificent if somewhat misplaced optimism of 1978, but for half the night at Hampden this was a party at the other end of the spectrum.Lawrence Shankland, the deadliest striker in the Scottish Premiership, looked like a lost lamb.
A turbulent preamble to Germany pockmarked by injury - still no sign of the utterly indispensable Scott McTominay - and poor form, and now a night that was supposed to sizzle and get the whole thing firing again was in danger of burning out. After the losses to Spain, England, France, the Netherlands and Northern Ireland. and the less-than-euphoric 2-0 victory over Gibraltar - welcome back, feelgood. It’s been a while.Ryan Christie looked lively. Kieran Tierney looked like the leader Scotland needs.
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