IT would not be at all unlike Scotland to raise the hopes of the entire country and then dash them just when success was within reach.
Seasoned observers of the national team have lost count of the number of occasions they have been left heartbroken over the years after impressive runs of form or rousing victories.
So the Tartan Army would be well advised to be cautious heading into the Nations League match against Ukraine here in Poland tomorrow evening.
Optimism abounds among jubilant supporters following back-to-back Group B1 triumphs at Hampden last week.
All that Steve Clarke’s side need is a solitary point from the match against OIeksandr Petrakov’s team in the Marszalek Pilsudski Stadium tomorrow evening to top their section and secure a Euro 2024 play-off spot.
Drawing with depleted opponents who they deservedly defeated 3-0 at home last Wednesday night seems like, after two assured performances and wildly-celebrated wins, an eminently achievable objective.
But Scotland have been here many, many times before and should be wary.
Euro 2020 quarter-finalists Ukraine, who thrashed Armenia 5-0 over in Yerevan on Saturday afternoon, will be determined to make amends for the loss they suffered in Glasgow in their final fixture and secure first place.
They should, despite having to play in another country due to the ongoing war with Russia in their homeland, also have the majority of the support cheering them on.
There is, then, much football to be played before anything is decided. The slightest drop in performance level will result in another excruciating failure being added to a long line of near things, last-gasp slip-ups and bitter disappointments.
Yet, there was much in the gutsy 2-1 victory over the Republic of Ireland at Hampden on Saturday night to suggest that Scotland can complete an unlikely comeback this week, clinch promotion to League A and ensure they are second seeds in Euro 2024 qualifying.
The way that John McGinn and his team mates kept their cool after falling behind to a fortuitous first-half goal, restored parity in the second-half through Jack Hendry and then took the lead with eight minutes remaining when Ryan Christie converted a penalty shows they have the maturity, mentality and ability to cope with what promises to be a demanding evening.
In years gone by, they might have panicked, abandoned their game plan and started shelling long balls upfield in a desperate attempt to get themselves back in the match. But against Ireland they remained patient and trusted in their manager’s tactics. They got their just rewards for doing so at the end of the 90 minutes.
It was not a perfect display. They gave the ball away needlessly on several occasions and were maybe fortunate only to concede once. They certainly had Craig Gordon to thank for keeping them level when the visitors launched a counter attack after a mistake Callum McGregor.
The goalkeeper, who had left the camp the night before when his partner went in to labour and had only had five hours sleep after seeing his son Axel safely delivered into the world, produced a crucial save from Troy Parrot.
Clarke has to, with his opposite number still able to field the likes of Artem Dovbyk, Taras Stepanenko, Vitaliy Mykolenko, Andriy Yarmalenko, Roman Yaremchuk and Mykhaylo Mudryk, address a couple of issues in what little time he has on the training field before kick-off tomorrow evening.
Still, the final outcome on Saturday by no means, despite Stephen Kenny’s unhappiness over the spot kick award, flattered Scotland and they can take to the field in Kracow with confidence.
Aaron Hickey and Kieran Tierney, who Clarke took off at the weekend as “precautionary measures”, will be missed if they are unavailable. The latter was arguably his country’s stand-out performer during their eight game unbeaten run last season. The former impressed onlookers hugely after taking over from Nathan Patterson at right back last week.
Hickey, who has helped Brentford make an impressive start in the Premier League this season since moving to England from Bologna in Italy, read the game brilliantly, was solid defensively, used the ball intelligently and made an impact going forward during his time on the park. The 20-year-old, who picked up his sixth cap, has a big future ahead of him.
But Anthony Ralston and Greg Taylor, the Celtic duo who came on for them, showed they are worthy replacements. Both men have international experience and contributed to the Ireland triumph. They will not weaken the team in the slightest.
Clarke made just two changes to his side on Saturday and one of them, Hickey for Patterson, was injury-enforced. Che Adams should come in for Lyndon Dykes up front tomorrow. But will the others be as sharp in what will be their third outing in seven days?
The former Newcastle United, Chelsea and Liverpool assistant, though, has options if he wants to freshen things up.
Ryan Fraser has slotted back into the set-up effortlessly after a lengthy absence. He looked great after taking over from Stuart Armstrong out wide against both Ukraine and Ireland. He set up two goals in midweek. Elsewhere, Billy Gilmour, Ryan Jack and Kenny McLean all have much to offer. There is real strength and depth.
The 4-2-3-1 formation functioned well once again at the weekend and whoever comes in should be able to execute their coach’s tactics to perfection. Ralston and Taylor certainly did after Tierney and Hickey limped off.
Winning or even drawing away from home is tough in international football regardless of the quality of the opposition. But Scotland have shown they can do so in vital fixtures against Austria, the Faroe Islands Moldova and Armenia in the past 12 months.
They have much-needed momentum behind them once again and can get the result they need against Ukraine and top their Nations League group if they manage to reproduce those showings in Poland.
Moving into the A League just as England are relegated would be a sweet moment for Scotland and their longsuffering supporters and would go some way towards atoning for their Qatar 2022 failure.
