There was always a danger that Scotland’s great expectations would precede crushing disappointment. It was kind of ever thus. At the venue where a
Scotland team were cheered towards failure in
Argentina in 1978, pre-match aspirations of progress from Group D were audibly reduced to fear that Steve Clarke’s team may fail to claim so much as a point. What a fickle business.
This Scottish return to major tournament
Football, 8,393 days after Craig Brown’s team were trounced by Morocco in St Etienne, was afforded quite the build-up. There was a marquee moment at Hampden Park, one which will appear on highlight reels for years to come. Unfortunately for Scotland, it involved the Czech Republic’s outstanding Patrik Schick. Scotland were extras in what had been heralded for months on end as their own great show.