What ultimately proved to be a letdown of an evening for Ireland supporters started off with a tinge of disappointment before a ball had even been kicked.
That's because a surprisingly audible section of the Hampden Park crowd booed Amhrán na bhFiann pre-match.
Since there's typically a real sense of camaraderie between Irish and Scottish people as they have quite a lot in common, it's fair to say lots of Irish viewers were taken aback by the hostile reception.
One person tweeted: "Pretty much sums up why I don't like Scotland, they'll make a big show of hating England but they'll boo James McClean all the same."
Ush added: "Yeah was surprised. I don't know if Scotland fans boo every national anthem though. But booing The Fields of Athenry has really surprised me."
And another Irish fan said: "Did the Scots really just boo our national anthem..."
But plenty of Scottish commenters argued it was nothing personal towards Ireland but rather more a case of them trying to do everything they could to rally behind their team in what was a huge game for them in the context of having been so badly outplayed in the reverse fixture back in June.
Kevin offered up: "Scotland fans boo every away teams national anthem that come to Hampden so it was nothing against the Irish."
While Davie wrote: "Was very disappointed with it, even the anti-monarchy James McClean was booed... strange behaviour from our fans.. apart from that, well done Scotland, on to Tuesday night and we need a draw at least."
The game itself certainly had plenty of bite to it too as both sides really got stuck in throughout.
The Boys in Green were the superior team in the opening 45 minutes and duly went in at the break with a 1-0 lead thanks to a slick finish from John Egan that Robbie Keane in his pomp would have been proud of.
But while the second period was also closely contested, the home side did wrestle back control especially after they and their fans were buoyed by Jack Hendry's headed equaliser.
A draw would have been a fair result but the turnaround was completed on 82 minutes after a daft moment from sub Alan Browne as he had both hands high up in the air while going down looking for a free-kick.
But this allowed the ball to hit his left arm as it was whipped in from a corner kick and Browne couldn't have any complaints as replays showed that if anything, he was shoved in the back by a teammate.
In the midst of the frenzied atmosphere, Ryan Christie was the epitome of calmness as he stroked the ensuing penalty home.
Stephen Kenny's men did plug away in the hopes of snatching a last-gasp equaliser but no clear-cut chances came our way from that point onward.
It means we now need to avoid defeat against Armenia at The Aviva on Tuesday night to avoid relegation from League B.
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