AS a singular moment, it is up there with any that the Tartan Army have experienced. Sadly, it was a portent to more heartbreak. But for all of those involved, who were there to see it, or were simply watching back home in Scotland, we will always have Paris.
There isn’t a Scot with even a passing interest in football - and most others besides, probably - who can’t picture James McFadden’s goal against France and hear the deliriously partisan commentary that accompanied it.
It was the coup de grace of an heroically doughty performance from Alex McLeish’s Scots in the Parc des Princes, a result hewn out of sheer hard graft, a stubborn refusal to be beaten, and a little bit of luck along the way.
As was all too common in that era though, and for a decade or more either side, Scotland still found a way to do an incredible double over the recent World Cup finalists and conspire not to qualify for Euro 2008.
“That was the sadness about it all,” lamented McLeish.
“That kinda tarnished it a bit - a big bit - when you don’t qualify, and then when you lose to the Georgians when you are expecting to go and win.
“But the game itself in France…I had read in the French papers what he was going to do with his midfield, the French coach [Raymond Domenech], and so I decided to go with a little holding midfielder, Paul Hartley. I went with Barry Ferguson and Darren Fletcher, who had to come off, which brought Stephen Pearson into the game.
“I said get up against their two because they played a 4-4-2 with two central midfielders. So, we were able to go and get onto them and we had Hartley behind mopping things up.
“It was quite easy – well, easy, we still had to do it on the pitch – but it was quite easy to lock onto certain players.
“(Franck) Ribery was a massive threat, but thinking back to that game, I don’t think they had any really massive chances.
“They had a lot of pressure, but we were locked on when we didn’t have the ball almost everywhere around the pitch.
“Ok, maybe they could have it at the back, but our midfield never allowed their two midfielders – who were two quality, world-class midfielders – any room.
“We were locked on and that enabled our full backs to do their job as well in stopping their wingers.
“And it worked really well. Obviously, they had the massive majority of the ball but then that glorious moment came with Faddy.
“I was shouting to him ‘Don’t f****n’ shoot…what a goal, son!’
"No, honestly, you know what McFadden can do. He just turned on the ball, lined it up and let fly. In that kind of era, only guys like him could do that.
“When it left his boot, I actually thought the goalie was going to get it. Maybe he will look back and think he didn’t do so well, but I think it was just so surprising for him to see a shot unleashed from 30 yards or something.”
If Scotland can repeat the feat and defeat the French on their soil in the coming friendly this Tuesday, it likely won’t mean quite as much to the Tartan Army as the victory McLeish masterminded all those years ago.
Indeed, it is still the game that Scotland fans mention to him more than just about any other, despite the fact he won 77 caps for his country during a stellar playing career.
“I remember after the game there were three guys I knew from Edinburgh that were lawyers, Rutherford, Manson, Dowds, I always remember the name of the company,” he said.
“After the game they were up waiting in the box, and they were all delirious at the result. They followed Scotland everywhere.
“That’s what you’re in the game for, you’ve got thousands or even millions of people to try and keep happy, certainly in the national job.
“So, I still get it to this day. I’ve got a framed poster of Faddy on the verge of unleashing the shot with the Arc de Triomphe behind it!
“Great memories.”
After a punishing night for the Scotland players both mentally and physically as they lost to Spain in Seville on Thursday, the last thing they will probably want to contemplate is the thought of chasing Kylian Mbappe and co around a football pitch.
“Thank God he wasn’t playing [in 2007]!” McLeish laughed.
But if anyone is well versed on how the underdogs can sometimes upset world class talents like the Paris Saint Germain megastar, it is he.
“It’s going to be a great test for the boys, and it is more phenomenal experience,” he said.
“Not that a lot of them haven’t had that experience from playing in England, but Mbappe will be another one.
“He was kept quiet by Newcastle defenders last week, so why can’t we do that?”
