Scotland Approach One-game World Cup Shootout With Excitement And Focus

Wounding events successful modern history mean Scotland tin not beryllium a shot state that expects. It is, however, 1 connected tenterhooks arsenic nan imaginable of long-awaited World Cup qualification looms truthful large.

On paper, nan task is simple: hit Denmark astatine Hampden Park connected Tuesdayand nan Scots will return a spot successful adjacent summer’s tournament. It is nan value of advancement that matters acold much than nan truth nan Danes are classed 18 places higher successful nan world.

Scotland person not played successful nan World Cup since 1998. You must spell backmost to 1989 for nan past clip they qualified for thing successful beforehand of a Hampden audience. This ranks arsenic a crippled for nan ages. Potentially.

The grounds of Andy Robertson is fascinating successful this context. The Liverpool full-back and Scotland skipper knows a point aliases 2 astir marquee achievement. He has 89 caps. What would starring his state to a World Cup mean? “I don’t for illustration reasoning astir it and that’s nan honorable answer,” he said. “I’m excited and looking guardant to a one-game shootout for nan World Cup. If it happens, I’ll show you really I consciousness astir it.”

There is beryllium a threat Scotland could get swallowed up by a activity of emotion. Denmark, serial tourney participants, will surely beryllium poised to return advantage successful that circumstance.

“The players person sewage a occupation to do,” said Scotland’s manager, Steve Clarke. “If they are not tense aliases excited by nan situation up past they wouldn’t beryllium astatine this level.

“They understand nan magnitude of nan crippled and what it means, but they conscionable person to hole for a crippled of shot and make judge they are focused connected really we want to play it. They person to beryllium focused connected what Denmark mightiness do. That’s our occupation arsenic a coaching staff, to springiness them an idea.

“When they transverse nan achromatic line, they person to spell retired and play. And if they spell retired and play for illustration they tin play, past I judge they are bully capable to get nan consequence we need.”

There is simply a rising consciousness that destiny has decided Scotland must triumph Group C. They person been – depending connected your outlook – unconvincing aliases fortunate successful chunks of this campaign. Scotland scraped past Belarus past month. Yet present they are, 90 minutes from glory.

Scotland’s caput coach, Steve Clarke, says nan players ‘understand nan magnitude of nan game’. Photograph: Andrew Milligan/PA

The script owes everything to Denmark’s nonaccomplishment to hit Belarus connected Saturday. Had Denmark prevailed successful Copenhagen, Scotland’s nonaccomplishment successful Greece would person consigned them to a playoff berth.

“It is vulnerable territory, I don’t judge successful that,” said Robertson successful respect of what mightiness beryllium written successful nan stars. “While not defending our capacity what Saturday did show was that Belarus are a very bully team.

“We astir apt sewage nan toughest pot-four squad successful nan full qualifiers. Belarus were nary mugs, they were an highly difficult squad to play against and they showed that astatine Hampden and again distant to nan pot-one team.

“There was immense vexation aft that crippled successful position of nan guidance from you guys, from nan fans, from ourselves. Points are points and we managed to get 3 connected nan board.

“A batch has been said successful this campaign, immoderate negativity astatine times and possibly immoderate justified, but we are sitting present pinch 10 points. We are 1 constituent down first spot and we cognize we are 90 minutes distant from nan World Cup.”

Clarke is nan aforesaid separator from starring his state to a 3rd finals. With his tenure expected to extremity whenever Scottish engagement successful nan World Cup does, nan 62-year-old whitethorn spell retired connected nan eventual high.

“These players are already very, very precocious successful nan ranking of what we’ve done arsenic a country,” he said. “When I took nan occupation six and a half years ago, a batch of group were telling maine not to touch it. That it was a poisoned chalice, that you tin not do this.

“I looked astatine nan group of players and I said I could spot immoderate value location and I could spot a group who I’d look guardant to moving with. I said that because I felt we could execute bully things. We person managed to do that and now we person different very, very bully point we tin execute together.”

Despite nan 3-2 loss, Scotland’s attacking play successful Athens was fantabulous successful spells. Scott McTominay’s influential 2nd half provides peculiar hope.

Denmark arrived successful Glasgow minus only nan San Diego guardant Anders Dreyer aft the sickness big that disrupted their commencement to this world window. Rasmus Højlund, who was forced to beryllium retired nan Belarus tie, has returned to rude wellness and is expected to play. The visiting caput coach, Brian Riemer, denied despondency from nan 2-2 tie pinch Belarus whitethorn linger.

“What happened successful nan first game, what happened successful nan 2nd crippled and 5th crippled is wholly irrelevant astatine this stage,” he said. “To beryllium successful nan changing room, not having secured nan summons for nan World Cup because we were having a hangover from a Belarus crippled … I don’t deliberation that’s imaginable pinch apical master footballers. I don’t deliberation you spot immoderate teams spell done a season, whether it’s nine shot aliases world football, without bumps.”

Scotland person endured almost 30 years of them.