Scotland flower in Cologne with draw against Swiss to keep them in the hunt

June 19 – Scotland have bounced back from their opening-night mishap to draw 1-1 against Switzerland and keep their Euro 2024 hopes alive. 

At the end of a tense night, Steve Clarke gave a small punch of the air. His team had responded the way he wanted to banish memories of that nightmare in Munich. Relishing the big stage, Scotland played with heart and soul to deliver a spirited performance, get a crucial point and set up a crunch match with Hungary in Group A.

Backed by the Tartan Army who had flooded the cobblestone streets of Cologne’s old town all day, Scotland and Clarke promised they’d show their real face against Switzerland after the 5-1 defeat to Germany.

Clarke bolstered his midfield by introducing Billy Gilmour and Grant Hanley stepped in for the suspended Ryan Porteous in the heart of defence. At the other end, Xherdan Shakiri became the first Swiss player to play in seven major tournaments.

This was Scotland’s most consequential match perhaps since the 1998 World Cup and from the onset, the team demonstrated more grit and commitment than they had shown against Germany. At least, they didn’t concede inside the first ten minutes. A sloppy back pass from Jack Hendry went straight out for a Switzerland corner suggesting Scotland had learned little from their catalogue of mistakes last Friday.

Scott McTominay’s shot defected off Fabian Schaer for Scotland’s first goal

But instead, Scotland went ahead at the other end. They countered to perfection: Andy Robertson slipped in Callum McGregor, who pulled it back to Scott McTominay and the man for the big moments delivered with an attempt that Fabian Schar diverted into his own net.

His strike prompted wild scenes in the Scottish end and a chorus of ‘No Scotland, no party’. At long last, Clarke and his team had arrived at Euro 2024.

Switzerland looked somewhat stunned, but in reality, they had the upper hand, retaining possession and winning a series of corners. Scotland didn’t…

Source link : https://www.insideworldfootball.com/2024/06/19/scotland-flower-cologne-draw-swiss-keep-hunt/

Author : Paul Nicholson

Publish date : 2024-06-19 22:50:28

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