As Patrik Schick's ridiculous halfway-line strike looped over a despairing David Marshall there was a feeling of inevitability as Scotland struggled upon their return to a major tournament for the first time in 23 years. It was gut-wrenching, it was a total suckerpunch and in a flash, the tournament was all but over. Those 9,000 fans lucky enough, or unlucky enough, to be inside Hampden for the Euro 2020 fixture witnessed an introduction to the international stage take a nosedive.
In theatrical terms, it was opening night of a much-anticipated release which seriously failed to deliver. We simply fluffed our lines. A slight redemption to take a draw against England at Wembley clawed back some pride but bowing out with a 3-1 defeat to the Croatia meant little impact was made.
The disappointment felt by those glued to TV screens around the country and those within the confines of a socially-distanced national stadium was not lost on the players or management. It's not all too often that missed opportunities are raised ahead of a historic moment - with booming optimism the mood music amongst the ballpark 200,000 Scottish supporters in Germany - but a reflective Andy Robertson cited the lacklustre showings last time at a major tournament ahead of tonight's must-watch viewing. READ MORE: Steve Clarke provides Scotland squad fitness update ahead of Euro 2024 opener He stated: “In the last Euros we played well in getting a draw at Wembley, but we let ourselves down a bit in the oth.