Matt Maher: International thrillers showcased football in its purest form
Around lunchtime on Tuesday I messaged a Scottish friend asking his thoughts on the evening’s forthcoming football.
“Fancy your chances?” I enquired.
“I wouldn’t fancy our chances if we were 3-0 up heading into stoppage time,” came the rather blunt reply.
So spoke a man who through more than four decades has become used to his team snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
A summer afternoon in 2017 has always remained lodged in the memory. Leigh Griffiths had just scored two free-kicks in as many minutes to put Scotland 2-1 up against England in a World Cup qualifier at Hampden Park. Just seconds remained.
England were just kicking-off again when the phone buzzed in my pocket. The same Scottish friend.
“We’ll still screw this up.” I just had time to read the message, before looking up to see Harry Kane head home the equaliser.
After so many years of knowing it is the hope that kills, you can well imagine the emotions of my friend and millions of his compatriots were experiencing on Tuesday night as Scotland’s winner-takes-all qualifier with Denmark entered stoppage time with the scores level at 2-2. Here, surely, came more cruel heartbreak.
Except this time it was different. As Scotland manager Steve Clarke put it rather beautifully later on, there was “magic” in the air.
Kieran Tierney’s screamer was the mere appetiser for Kenny McLean scoring from his own half. Two of the nation’s greatest-ever goals netted within the space of about four minutes. Glory snatched from the jaws of despair. All very un-Scotland.
