It’s not a victory, but it’s still something to celebrate for the Tartan Army.
With a point to prove, Switzerland were awarded a point. Along with pride and the rebirth of the dream.
Securing a 1-1 draw could still help Scotland progress in the Euros.
This was the reaction that coach Steve Clarke demanded after being humiliated 5-1 by Germany in their Group A debut.
And the fans never gave up on their players – remembering the memorable qualifying victories over Spain and Norway.
“That’s how we’ve been playing as a team for the last three or four years,” he said. “That’s why we’re here in a big tournament.
“So we knew what we had to do. The players knew what they had to do and I thought it was a good team, a collective performance against a good opponent.”
Scotland manager Steve Clarke Pic: AP
There will be concern that, following Scott McTominay’s 13th-minute opener, a defensive lapse allowed Xherdan Shaqiri to equalize for the Swiss with a thunderous strike.
But there was always goalkeeper Angus Gunn to rely on – bailing them out with saves to preserve the point.
Scotland may struggle to finish in the two automatic qualification places in Group A. But defeating Hungary in Stuttgart on Sunday could put them in the top four third-placed teams across the six groups.
Scottish goalkeeper Angus Gunn made a series of good saves Photo: AP
“They’ll feel a lot better next game,” Clarke said. “At the end of this game, performance is who we are.
“That’s how we play, that’s how we work. And we’re going to show that too, the aggression, the fight and the dirty side of the game.”
Winning in Cologne last night was always going to be a difficult task, as the Swiss had lost just two of their previous 14 group stage matches in tournaments.
And this is a country that has participated in every major tournament since the 2014 World Cup – with Shaqiri scoring in all of them.
McTominay, who won trophies with Manchester United, had never scored in an international tournament before last night.
The Scots have not reached a men’s World Cup since 1998 and Euro 2020 has only marked their return to continental competition since 1996.
But history weighs against Scotland, who have never secured qualification from a group for the knockout stages of a tournament.
Clarke said: “It’s just about doing better all the time…what we’re good at, working hard.”
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