12 November 2020

5 more famous Scotland successes

12 November 2020

Scotland claimed a historic win in Belgrade to book their place at next summer’s Euro 2020 party.

The penalty shoot-out success ends 22 years of pain for the Tartan Army and means Steve Clarke’s team will go down in football folklore north of the border.

Here PA takes a look at five other famous Scottish wins on the road:

England 1 Scotland 5, March 1928, British Home Championships

The Wembley Wizards put on a spellbinding display as they recorded their heaviest win over the Auld Enemy in 46 years. Huddersfield winger Alex Jackson hit a hat-trick while Preston’s Alex James contributed a double as the Scots ran riot in London. Everton’s prolific frontman Dixie Dean was coming to the end of his famous 67-goal season but he was kept quiet by Bury stopper Tom Bradshaw, with only Bob Kelly’s late free-kick rescuing some small pride for the hosts.

Spain 2 Scotland 6, June 1963, Friendly

The centre of power in European football at this point in time was firmly resting in the Spanish capital. Just three years earlier Real Madrid had won their fifth straight European Cup but there were no survivors of the Merengues’ golden era on show as Scotland sacked the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in a ruthless display of finishing. Denis Law, Dave Gibson, Frank McLintock and Davie Wilson had the visitors 4-1 up inside 35 minutes before Willie Henderson and Dave Gibson heaped further misery on the Spaniards after the break. The setback did not do too much lasting damage to Spain, who lifted their first international honour the following summer as they won the 1964 European Championships.

England 2 Scotland 3, April 1967, British Home Championships

Scotland’s Jim Baxter (centre) is enthusiastically hugged by overjoyed fans who invaded the Wembley Stadium pitch after England had been beaten 3-2 in 1967 (PA Archive)

The Tartan Army crowned their team the ‘unofficial world champions’ after seeing Alf Ramsey’s heroes of 1966 beaten for the first time since their World Cup triumph. Law, Bobby Lennox and debutant Jim McCalliog scored the goals – but the winning margin was not as big as it could have been, with Jim Baxter preferring to savour the moment with his keepy-uppie routine, rather than push for more goals as Scotland joyously marked the summer of love by cavorting across the Wembley turf.

Wales 0 Scotland 2, October 1977, World Cup qualifier

There was something underhand about this triumph staged at Anfield – not that the Scots cared. The Welsh FA were barred from staging the game at Ninian Park as a result of crowd trouble the previous year so decided to cash in by moving the game to Merseyside. But it backfired as the Tartan Army took over Liverpool’s home ground and roared with delight as French referee Robert Wurtz wrongly penalised Dave Jones for handball in the box when TV pictures showed it was Joe Jordan who had punched the ball goalwards. Don Masson slotted home from the spot before Kenny Dalglish booked Scotland’s place on the plane to Argentina with the second late on.

France 0 Scotland 1, September 2007, European Championship qualifier

James McFadden was Berti Vogts’ ‘cheeky boy’ but he was the Scots’ main man by the time they walked out to face the World Cup finalists at the Parc des Princes. Les Bleus were looking for revenge for their Hampden defeat a year earlier but were shot down by the exocet missile McFadden launched from 30 yards out to beat Mickael Landreau. That strike set off almighty celebrations in Paris and back home but there were to be tears at the end of the qualifying group as Italy’s late winner at Hampden denied Alex McLeish’s team qualification.

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