Scotland head to Euro 2024 with an unfamiliar sense of optimism in the air.
The Tartan Army are taking part in their fourth European Championship having previously never made it past the group stage – including three years ago in disappointing style at Euro 2020.
But after qualifying with games to spare this time around, there is genuine hope that Steve Clarke’s men may have what it takes to finally go further.
Can this Scotland side take the next step and make their mark on the international tournament stage? Let’s have a deepeer dive to find out…
Sealing qualification… with ease!
Scotland qualifying for a major tournament is rare enough, so the ease at which they did so is something of a relic.
They needed a nail-biting penalty shoot-out in a play-off match against Cyprus to reach Euro 2020 but this time around it was much more smooth sailing.
Pitched as 14-1 outsiders to win a group containing 2012 winners Spain and Erling Haaland’s Norway, the Scots claimed the scalp of both those sides during a memorable campaign, with Scott McTominay transitioning into an unlikely goalscoring machine.
They spent most of the campaign in top spot before being pipped by Spain but only after a place at Germany this summer had already been secured.
Winning five out of eight games overall and also sealing promotion to the top tier in the Nations League, Scotland appear ready to take on Europe’s top teams.
Bad timing?
After qualifying last Autumn while riding the crest of a wave, Clarke may have been forgiven for wanting the tournament to start there and then, with their form since then hitting a sticky patch.
After their Nations League promotion, Scotland organised friendlies against higher-quality opponents – taking on England, France and the Netherlands.
Those three games between September and March ended in 3-1, 4-1 and 4-0 defeats… before they lost 1-0 to Northern Ireland.
It was a stark reminder of the step up required to become a threat on the…
Source link : https://www.101greatgoals.com/news/euro-2024-scotland-tournament-preview/
Author : Cian Cheesbrough
Publish date : 2024-06-13 09:00:05
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