‘Steely Scotland still standing after coming out swinging’

Two minutes into this nerve-wracking, nail-biting, nail-biting night in Cologne, Scotland won a corner, their first of the tournament.

For fans in full possession of their senses – that is, pretty much every fan at this tournament, barring the wonderful dissidents of the Tartan Army – this would not have been a big deal.

For the Scots, it was cause for mass celebration. They were furious.

The decibel level rose from merely deafening to almost eardrum-bursting. A corner! It was as if all his pent-up frustrations after last Friday’s football disaster had come to the surface.

The corner was worthless, but two minutes later they scored another. More chaos, more delirium. Write it down, Opta! Write down.

It turned out that the happy chaos that ensued in the cathedral from Wednesday morning was like a meeting of Trappist monks compared to the confusion that ensued at the Cologne Stadium.

A riot broke out at a football match and in the end Scotland lost yet another defender, the injured Kieran Tierney, but still, thankfully, in this tournament.

They got a point. It could have been none and it could have been three.

Grant Hanley hit a post. Manuel Akanji made a world-class intervention to deny Scott McTominay.

Switzerland will talk about Dan Ndoye’s one-on-one with Angus Gunn and his goals that were called offside but were tight.

The draw was fair. Both teams attended. Both teams came face to face and exchanged blows. It was pulsing.

Scotland now have two goals, both scored by friendly opponents, but they are still there.

No Aaron Hickey, no Nathan Patterson, no Ryan Porteous and now no Tierney either. They are fighting for numbers.

The sight of Tierney stopping and being taken away was grim. It was practically the only moment all night that they were a little silent, with the emphasis on ‘part’.

‘Scotland finds itself after the Munich disaster’

In the wake of the Munich disaster, Scotland found itself.

Let’s not follow the path of moral victory. A dead end, that is. But let’s praise them because they had the worst weeks and came out fighting.

They were favorites to lose but took the lead when McTominay headed a short Swiss corner and went in search of the ball carrier, Andy Robertson.

Yes, his final shot came from Fabian Schar, but the verve and intensity of Scotland’s counterattack was electrifying. It offered hope.

Billy Gilmour came into the team and what a difference he made. His personality, his hunger for the ball, his calm amidst the malestrom stood out like a beacon.

He had presence and ostentation. The quality of his direct opponent, Granit Xhaka, and the pressure of the occasion, something not to be missed, only seemed to make it more enjoyable for him.

Scotland have not reached the levels of their winning run from March to September last year, but have shown signs of getting back there. His pressure was brave and relentless, and his work rate soared.

The tendency towards self-harm was also present, under the guise of a missed pass, given in a moment of stress by Anthony Ralston and taken advantage of by Xherdan Shaqiri. His first-time curling finish was outrageous.

Ralston turned. Gunn jumped in frustration. Others just hung their heads. What none of them did was allow it to fry their collective brain.

There were a lot of Swiss fans here too, and they made quite a noise too.

As they began to speak, the Scottish fans responded. There was a fierce dispute on the field and also in the stands.

There was noise, color and chances. It would have been cruel if either team lost, especially Scotland, because it could well have cost them the chance to stay in the tournament.

Tierney’s departure was a horrible moment, a psychological blow at a time when the threat from Switzerland was a gathering storm.

Scotland qualified for this championship thanks to victories, of course, but also due to their resilience, notably the decisive victory in Norway.

We haven’t seen much of that in the last 10 games. They have been easy to beat and often architects of their own downfall.

This was a stronger Scotland, especially having to deal with the disappointment of losing one of their leaders to what appeared to be a serious injury.

They absorbed it and went again. Some of their best attacking moments came after Tierney left, which was an illustration of their struggle.

They needed to find something and they found it, and now belief will sustain them on the road to Stuttgart on Sunday to face a Hungarian team that makes no sense.

There are draws and there are draws. This felt like a release from recent troubles.

Its true relevance will only be known on Sunday, but as silence was restored around midnight in Cologne and Clarke and his players retreated to the sanctuary of their hotel, it must have been good, oh so good, to still be there. alive.

What did you think of Scotland’s performance? Do you now have hope of reaching the round of 16? Let us know here