Scotland draw with Switzerland in Euro 2024.

 Scotland draw with Switzerland in Euro 2024

Things might have gone according to plan for Scotland but they failed to find the winning goal that would have made their lives so much simpler. Now Scotland reverted to England's prototype model. You make concerted efforts to find anything that resembles a victory only to be denied by a neutral and inoffensive nation who seemed much more concerned with self preservation themselves. For Switzerland this was just another day at the office, business to attend to and nothing to worry about.  A draw seemed good enough and so it proved.

For their part, Scotland were in Cologne to be taken seriously and not the European pushovers, makeweights or lightweights in the greater scheme of things, never to be taken lightly. So we buckled up on the night and discovered that there was far more than met the eye. Scotland will never be the legendary side which included the likes of Archie Gemmell, Bruce Rioch, Don Masson and Asa Hartford. In those days it just felt good to be amongst gifted individuals and well defined characters who just wanted to have fun in the World Cup sun.

We knew that Germany would apply the steamroller that flattened Scotland last Friday in the opening chapter of this Euro 2024 match or - as it should be called- the European Championship. The 5-1 demolition of the Tartan Army had more of a Bannockburn feel to it than Culloden and maybe we shouldn't have been that shocked but, against Switzerland, Scotland had a more purposeful and aggressive edge to their game that always remained on the right side of legitimacy.

They could have crumbled when Switzerland equalised Scotland's opening goal on the night. But they just kept their cool, advanced steadily, repaired the cracks in their wobbling defence and just built their way back into the game. This was a much more coherent, ambitious, driven and determined Scotland than the Scotland whose feeble capitulation against Germany simply underlined the vast chasm in class between the two. So the bagpipes became louder, the voices sharper and more stentorian and finally the spirit of Rabbie Burns could be heard amid a Cologne that was now rocking and rolling in the aisles. 

It is on nights like this that Scotland seemed to come life. They are penned back into a corner and everybody is convinced that, sooner rather than later, the wheels will come off. But there is a resilience and hardness of character that has come to embody everything that is good in Scottish football. The domination of Celtic in the Scottish Premier League has never been conducive to a healthy, competitive element within the two and Rangers keep pestering them in the hope that the monopoly can be broken one day. Besides, that used to be the case but now Scotland can only feast on the scraps, struggling in vain to find a real identity.

Still, Scotland, from the kick off, flew out of the blocks, like exemplary Olympians, recalling those long ago misty days when William Mcgregor did his utmost to endorse the short passing game at the end of the 19th century. Since then, of course, the long held rivalry and good natured ribaldry between the English and Scots, as was exemplified by the sadly obsolete Home International Championships, is nothing more than a historical footnote.

We know the Scots hate the English and the feeling is mutual or maybe there was some expression of goodwill between the two just lying under the surface. Scotland though, were ready for this contest against Switzerland and laid out their intentions with some of the most imaginative football we may have seen from the Scottish national side for a long time. Their passes were clean, concise, well executed and, above all accurate. There was a real sense of togetherness between the side, a much greater feeling of familiarity with each other's game, a relationship that fostered a renewed confidence and an esprit de corps. When everything sticks and it's just logical, then it all falls into place. No point in questioning yourself when you know it works more than effectively.

But when Grant Hanley, the always consistently dangerous Andy Robertson of Liverpool, the normally unflustered Kieran Tierney and Jack Hendry tried to play their way out of trouble against Switzerland, there was no viable outlet for Scotland. There was though, a much more positive and proactive look about the Scots but the final, clinical touches were always missing. John Mcginn of Aston Villa has been one of Aston Villa's best players and, from time to time, Mcginn attacked the ball, foraging for space in midfield and laying off the shrewdest passes to his colleagues. But Billy Gilmour who is beginning to emerge as one of Scotland's canniest and smoothest passers, lacked bite, snap and tenacity.

Scotland did though begin the game with a marvellously adventurous approach. They were promptly rewarded for their forward thinking and innovative football. After a devastating breakaway deep into the Swiss half, Gilmour seized the moment. He laid the ball off to Callum Mcgregor and Mcgregor neatly headed the ball back into the penalty area where the onrushing Scott Mctominay, ecstatically swept the ball into the back of the Swiss net. How grateful are Manchester United for such a natural talent.

Then, Scotland retreated back into the shell for the next twenty minutes or so and just assumed that a second goal would come sooner rather than later. But Switzerland, without any of the poise or cleverness to outwit the Scots, still found something in reserve. The former Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka  and the former Liverpool schemer Xerdan Shakiri offered something much more in the way of sophistication than we might have expected from any Switzerland side.

It wasn't long before the Swiss found a way through a Scottish defence that may have been accused of sloppiness and impotence. Tony Ralston's dreadful back pass to one of his defenders in a navy blue shirt and, from just outside the Scottish penalty area, they were punished cruelly. Xerdan Shakiri, who is renowned for the ferocity and accuracy of his shots from long distance, let fly with a low, powerful shot that caught out Angus Gunn, the Scottish keeper, who could do nothing to keep out a fearsome drive that nicked the post and rolled behind Gunn for a deserved equaliser.

From that point onwards, Scotland made a rod for their backs. All of the pressure and possession that briefly threatened the Swiss goal, now dissolved regrettably into thin air. The rest of the game was both scrappy, slapdash, almost amateurish at times, an almost constant series of mistimed passes and misshapen patterns that led to nowhere in particular. It seemed that both sides had made up their minds to settle for an inconclusive result from which neither could take any real satisfaction.

Now all that remains is Scotland's last decisive group stage match against Hungary which will definitely seal Scotland's fate. There are those of us who have always appreciated Scotland's doggedness, their rugged defiance when somebody tells them that they're just not good enough. In Cologne, we saw a different side to Scotland, a willingness to fight to the bitter end, throwing caution to the wind and just going for broke, regardless of the consequences. Thankfully, Scotland threw off any emotional damage that might have carried over from their opening game against Germany. There was a definite shape and structure to their football.

Still, Scotland are still there in the box seat, a victory away from certain qualification to the next round of Euro 2024. It could end in tears but, then again perhaps not. Scotland know that they have England in their sightlines, peering over their shoulder, interested but just keeping them in mind should the necessity arise. They know that something could bring them together at some point in the tournament but daren't think along those lines. So it's all to play for and Scotland are far from defeated. There may well be a crucial twist in this intriguing story. Just ask Scottish boss Steve Clarke. He gritted his teeth in his dug out, implying that Scotland are not done and far from out. We await with some fascination.