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Hampden Park has hosted seismic, spine-tingling occasions in a storied history dating back to 1903. Add this one to the list. Scotland’s long, long wait is over. Steve Clarke, Andy Robertson, Scott McTominay, John McGinn; you shall go to the ball. So too Kieran Tierney, whose curler from 22 yards seemed to have sealed victory by the odd goal in five before Kenny McLean produced an even more spectacular fourth.
Almost three decades of frustration, during which Scotland have peered towards men’s World Cups from afar, were obliterated as Denmark fell to defeat in stoppage time. Grown men in kilts shed tears. Denmark’s participation in next summer’s jamboree depends on March playoffs. Clarke and a suddenly giddy football nation can start making concrete plans.
PhD students could produce work on how on earth Scotland achieved this. They appeared down and out at times, no more recently than Saturday when falling to defeat in Athens. It was almost as if someone, somewhere had predetermined the Scots had waited quite enough for a World Cup return. The interventions of Tierney and McLean were extraordinary.
The night had supposedly opened in difficult fashion for Scotland. John Souttar, who had been due to partner Scott McKenna in central defence, was injured in the warmup. Grant Hanley took his place. Any sense of disruption was banished within three minutes.
This was one of the most wondrous goals delivered at Hampden in living memory. Ben Gannon-Doak jinked and weaved on the right. The Bournemouth winger’s floated cross should have been tricky for McTominay to navigate. He was facing away from goal, for starters. Instead, McTominay catapulted himself into the air and planted an overhead kick beyond the reach of Kasper Schmeichel. This famous old place erupted, not simply in recognition of the opening goal but the special circumstances in which it arrived. Wow.
McTominay was playing like a man possessed. Gannon-Doak looked electric. Scottish danger resonated in attacking too ferociously; Craig Gordon saved from Rasmus Højlund after the Denmark striker was sent clean through on goal. The offside flag was raised but Højlund may well have survived a second check were it required. As Mikkel Damsgaard flashed a ball across the Scotland goal and McKenna blocked well from Victor Froholdt, the Scots were in a battle to maintain their advantage.
Gannon-Doak had panicked the Danes with his pace. It felt a significant blow to Clarke, then, as the Bournemouth man overstretched when trying to block a cross. He departed the scene on a stretcher after just 20 minutes.
Højlund soon had the ball in the net but was penalised for a push on Aaron Hickey. By the half-hour, Scotland were living far too dangerously, a point further emphasised as Hanley deflected a Pierre‑Emile Højbjerg drive narrowly wide. Yet Scotland reached the break unscathed. They were even denied a great chance of a second goal, Rasmus Kristensen smartly taking out McGinn, earning a booking, after the midfielder capitalised on Danish slackness.
Højlund forced Gordon into a smart, low save within 90 seconds of the restart. If Scotland were going to do this, 45 minutes would feel like the 27 years since World Cup participation. Given Denmark only needed a draw, the flow of traffic right from the onset of the second period felt ominous for the hosts. Scotland were succeeding – to a point – in breaking up Denmark attacks but promptly handing the ball right back to those in red.
When the equaliser arrived, it came with the whiff of cordite attached. The referee originally saw nothing wrong with Robertson’s challenge on Gustav Isaksen on the angle of the penalty area. Indeed, it appeared Isaksen flung himself into the air. After being advised to look again by the video assistant referee, Szymon Marciniak pointed to the spot. Højlund smashed home. On the balance of play, parity was the least Denmark deserved but Scotland had cause to be sore about the circumstances.
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All this action-packed encounter lacked was a red card. It arrived on the hour, Kristensen’s second foul of the night on a marauding McGinn bringing another caution. Now Clarke twisted by throwing on the strikers Lawrence Shankland and Che Adams.
The move was to pay dividends. Denmark’s defending of an inswinging Lewis Ferguson corner was shambolic, allowing Shankland to strike. The Hearts frontman, introduced for his predatory instinct, produced precisely that. The Danish head coach Brian Riemer, though, had cause to be furious at how simple it was.
Scotland had no time to build on their advantage. Within three minutes, Patrick Dorgu stroked home after Andreas Christensen laid into his path 12 yards from goal. This time Scotland were overly generous,
Adams flicked a header wide. McGinn’s curling shot just missed the upright. Enter Tierney and a moment fit to win any match. McLean added gloss: from the halfway line, no less.
