Group A match: Scotland 1 Switzerland 1
With hope still in the air, Scotland and the Tartan Army march forward to Stuttgart, prepared to lock horns in an epic encounter with Hungary this coming Sunday night. Simultaneously, Switzerland could surmount Group A if they secure victory over Germany in Frankfurt. The match is sure to remain nerve-wracking till the last minute.
The Scottish goal, only second to the memorable Archie Gemmill’s one against Netherlands in 1978, was a highlight of the night. However, the joy within the RheinEnergie Stadion was short-lived as Switzerland levelled the score within 13 minutes. Regardless, the Scottish spectators, who’d made the shift from Munich to Cologne, were thoroughly enthused and their cheerfulness was undeterred.
Uefa hastily erased Scott McTominay’s name from the annals after an unfortunate deflection off Fabian Schär. As the match concluded, it was definitively named the McTominay goal, to be recollected as long as there are Scotsman alive. McTominay, hailing from Manchester United, initiated and completed a hasty, 80-metre sprint and finished with three decisive headers from a Swiss corner. The final header connected with Billy Gilmour who grounded the ball with his chest before launching Andy Robertson on the left.
Callum McGregor came running after his captain before spotting McTominay near the border of Swiss box. His final attempt was passable to get past Yann Sommer, with assistance from Schär.
Switzerland swiftly regained control over the game. Not that anyone in the stadium noticed due to prolonged applause and the capturing of proud moments to be shared back home. Scotland was, indeed, in its finest sporting moment.
The game was palpably tense, evident when Jack Hendry and Schär, both central defenders, met in a head-on collision during yet another Swiss corner.
Scotland had to cool their heads, maintain possession with Gilmour in the midfield and demonstrate they belonged among the top contenders in Euro 2024.
However, the tables were turned 13 minutes after their goal, when a misguided back pass by Anthony Ralston paved way for Xherdan Shaqiri, reminding everyone of his days at Bayern Munich and Stoke City. Mistaking Grant Hanley’s position, Ralston, under pressure from the Swiss team, accidentally let the ball loose. Shaqiri grabbed this chance and scored, sending the ball hurtling, for a first-shot goal in the top corner.
The Tartan’s cough was somewhat soothed, courtesy of Switzerland’s commanding 72 per cent possession. Despite putting in a determined effort, Gilmour, the creative midfielder thought to be surplus to requirements by Scottish manager Steve Clarke during the 5-1 thrashing by Germany, struggled to establish any rhythm. His performance didn’t benefit from Ricardo Rodriguez opting for a yellow card instead of allowing Gilmour the run of the right wing. Granit Xhaka followed with an echo of Rodriguez’s punishment shortly thereafter.
The half-time score of 1-1 would have been a source of displeasure for Switzerland’s coach, Murat Yakin, particularly given that Ruben Vargas had set up Dan Ndoye with a straightforward contest against Kieran Tierney in the Scotland penalty area. Despite successfully dummying Tierney, Ndoye’s shot was ably saved by Angus Gunn. Although Ndoye did eventually get the better of Gunn from a corner, the goal was ruled out for offside.
Scotland’s possession was largely horizontal with a majority of their players lacking the necessary skill level to handle the situation. Remo Freuler was doing most of the cleaning up in midfield.
The subsequent 45 minutes were seemingly the most crucial in Steve Clarke’s five-year tenure. To be frank, the Swiss team was superior and arguably had superior coaching. Nevertheless, not a single Scottish player conceded ground.
The popular chants of “No Scotland, no party,” and “Super John McGinn” echoed from Bavaria to Rhine-Westphalia, but the standout player from Aston Villa was overshadowed by the Swiss team’s dominance and resolve, leading him to throw himself into tackles.
Almost immediately after a resounding rendition of ‘Flower of Scotland’, Ndoye had another chance to put the match to bed but failed to hit the target after shrugging off Tierney. Tierney himself, after landing awkwardly on his left leg, had to be stretchered off.
Scotland’s tournament experience thus seemed luckless with most things seemingly going wrong. As the match neared its conclusion, Hanley had the opportunity to secure victory with a free-kick from Robertson. Unfortunately, his deft header, after successfully fending off Schär, hit the post, which would have resulted in wild celebrations.
With just eight minutes left on the clock, Breel Embolo looked set to tear the Scottish Defence apart and chip Gunn but was deemed clearly offside, thanks to VAR.
Next, Scotland faces Stuttgart, where they will be hopeful of making a turnaround against a Hungarian side that has seen five goals conceded in two defeats. While Germany commands Group A, the hosts’ unbeaten streak may yet be threatened by Switzerland.
Scotland’s team had Gunn as the goalkeeper, Ralston, Hendry, Hanley, Tierney, who was later replaced by McKenna in the 61st minute, and Robertson. The midfield consisted of McTominay, Gilmore, who was substituted by McLean in the 79th minute, and McGregor. McGinn, swapped out for Christie in the 90th minute, and Adams, replaced by Shankland in the 90th minute, completed the team.
On the other hand, Switzerland had Sommer as the goalie. The team also included Schar, Akanji, Rodriguez, and Widmer, who was subbed by Stergiou at the 86-minute mark. Xhaka, Freuler, replaced by Sierro in the 75th minute, and Shaqiri, later replaced by Embolo in the 60th minute, bolstered their midfield. Aebischer, Ndoye, who was subbed out for Amdouni at 86 minutes, and Vargas, replaced by Rieder in the 75th minute, were also part of their side. The match was overseen by Ivan Kružliak from Slovakia.