A stomp towards the delirious crowd followed by an impish grin and the I-remain-the-man pout of celebration: on 88 minutes Cristiano Ronaldo saluted his 901st goal after sliding home and shred the narrative of a point won bravely by Scotland. Until then, Steve Clarke appeared heading to replenish the goodwill he had been draining from the Tartan Army.
The manager may still, of course. And afterwards, Clarke, whose team were knocked out of Euro 2024 at the group stage, was careful to talk his side up. “Disappointed to lose the game especially for the players, for all the effort they put in,” he said.
