This is totally for me.
I snuck out of work early yesterday to watch Scotland play France in a Euro 2008 qualifier. I meandered up to McLeans Pub stopping briefly to put on my Scotland Tshirt before entering the lions den – surrounded by French fans and English fans (they were playing Russia) four Scotsmen took our place at the bar.
Strangely I didn’t have that sense of impending doom that I normally have when the tartan army play a team of the caliber of France and I made reference to this a number of times. I was careful not to hex them on a couple of occasions by saying, after wave on wave of French pressure was absorbed and contained, that I would be happy to get to half time at 0-0.
We did.
And the 2nd half begun much as the 1st half did. But the Scots stuck to their game plan and little by little began to create some chances of their own.
Then as we were all chatting about various things, James McFadden picked up a long pull, pushed the ball forward with his left boot and then unleashed a rocket from 35 yards.
The chat faded as we watched that ball fly like a bullet, the outstreched fingers of the french goalie touching it and the ball thumping the back of the net.
The four of us leaped out of our seats yelling at each other, still in a state of slight disbelief, while the understanding TV director played replay after replay after replay.
The finest Scottish goal scored in over 29 years, since Archie Gemmils mazy dribble through the Dutch in Argentina 1978.
The French had no answer, and even after they regained the ball and applied pressure, they never looked like scoring.
When the final whistle went – we began to understand how important this game was.
Yes – it’s a game, but after enduring 20 years of Scots failures and humility, they had been beaten the World Cup Runners up. Twice. And in a group which contains the World Cup Champions, the World Cup runners up and a 3rd place team, Scotland stand above them all at the top.
There are three games to go, with Italy and the Ukraine to come, but we have a realistic chance. And at this stage of a qualification campaign, I’d almost forgotten how that feels.
Not only that, but this goal will be talked about for eons.
Get in there!
Posted by procrasto 
