Ewan McGregor uttered an infamous swear word on screen about what it was like to be Scottish.
But the bleak verdict from Trainspotting is miles away from the world of joy and love Steve Clarke and his national heroes have created. A better description would be it's GREAT to be from these shores as our all-conquering men's national team keep proving. Seriously, Clarke's side are in rare air after the comeback of comebacks to sink Norway in Euro 2024 qualifying group A and open up an eight-point advantage over their most likely rivals for a top two spot alongside Spain.
Lyndon Dykes and Kenny McLean produced a Sheringham-Solskjaer combo to leave the hosts on the floor as Erling Haaland got it tight from Scotland fans (who were "having a party, Haaland's in his bed") and manager Staale Solbakken was rinsed by the national media of Norway. It was a night of high drama and here is the reaction to it.
Afternposten (Norway)
The national outlet has waved the white flag and told Clarke and Co to enjoy the Stein and Sausages in Germany. They wrote: "Erling Braut Haaland had scored from a penalty and Norway seemed to be in full control. Then the nightmare began. Sloppy defensive play left Scotland 1–1 as a gift. A minute later, Kenny McLean scored 2–1 and spoiled the party for the over 25,000 at Ullevaal. After the match, the Norwegian supporters went home exhausted, while the Scots enjoyed singing the name of Erling Braut Haaland, knowing that Scotland is well on its way to the European Championship. For a long time it looked bright for Norway."
AS (Spain)
The Spanish outlet, with a vested interest due to their nation competing in Group A weighed in on Scotland's magic evening. "After Haaland's goal, the roles changed. Then Scotland began to dominate the game and look towards the opponent's goal, but this team does not have the same level of attack as Norway, who really found no other good reason for the surprising development of the match at Ullevaal than that Haaland was taken off the field ahead of a isolated Norwegian defensive blunder."
Dagbladet (Norway)
They said: "The Norwegian team, which seemed to have full control over the Scots in the tropical heat, fell at their own level and their own mistakes. For the occasion helped by a coach with a well-deserved reputation as a wise match manager. But who apparently messed up the victory themselves with an unsuccessful 3-man substitution at the score 1 - 0 a short quarter of an hour before the end. That with Ståle Solbakken's mistake is of course debatable. International commentators rightly point out that this Scottish victory in extra time came entirely by accident."
Marca (Spain)
The national publication wrote: "There the game seemed to have died and, as such, Solbakken took Haaland out with six minutes to go on 90 minutes and brought on Daehli. There began the Norwegian evils. At minute 87, Dykes received the ball after a bad Norwegian start and in the one-on-one with the goalkeeper he defined perfectly, achieving a draw that was already a tremendous booty for the British."
VG (Norway)
A crestfallen reaction from the national media outlet in Norway, they stated: "It was 25,791 spectators got to see a Norway in full control of a tame Scottish team. Then Scotland turned it all around in a minute. Instead of sneaking up on the back of the Scots, Norway now stands with one point from its first three matches. The two best in the group go to the EC and many indications now suggest that Ståle Solbakken's men will, at best, get an EC chance through a Nations League playoff."
Bharian (Malaysia)
They posted: "Lyndon Dykes and Kenny McLean scored two late goals as Scotland came from behind on an Erling Haaland penalty to record a 2-1 win over Norway in Group A qualifying for Euro 2024 earlier this morning. With Georgia beating Cyprus 2-1 in the five-nation group, the win helped Scotland climb to the top of the group with nine points, five ahead of Georgia while Norway are fourth with one point. Despite controlling possession, Norway struggled to create good chances
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