The steady stream of punters heading to the pub long before full-time told a story. Scotland’s road towards Euro 2024 will include significantly greater hurdles than that provided by Cyprus, and this stadium has witnessed far more enthralling encounters. Tuesday evening, when Spain come calling, should deliver a different scene entirely both on and off the pitch. Perhaps players and supporters alike were keeping powder dry.
Yet those who succumbed to the lure of the pint missed Scott McTominay, twice, adding gloss to their country’s victory. Scotland have made such a habit of starting qualifying campaigns poorly that victory, any victory, must be appreciated. It is perhaps a tacit indication of how they have progressed under Steve Clarke that a win like this is regarded as mundane. The presence of close to 50,000 spectators for a meeting with the world’s 110th-ranked team adds to the sense of an upwardly mobile Scotland setup.
