A Nations League campaign which long since looked to have crashed and burned climaxed for Scotland in the most dramatic of fashion with Andy Robertson’s stoppage time header in Poland.
Three straight defeats had left Scotland pointless at the bottom of the table, and despite some positive signs during each match, there seemed no way back for Steve Clarke and his side.
An instant exit from League A appeared inevitable.
Even an improved showing at home to Portugal last month, which garnered a 0-0 draw, looked too little, too late.
There were optimistic noises coming from the Scottish camp we could still claim second spot, but they felt like little more than the kind of pre-match sparring often heard during such news conferences.
Few outside observers would have shared their confidence, but the national team rose to the challenge, and very nearly pulled it off.
John McGinn’s late winner against Croatia raised our hopes, and crucially restored the self-belief which must have eroded significantly over the past year – a draining period during which Scotland had won a single game out of 16.
Now there was tangible reward for another better display, and the squad headed to Warsaw in a determined frame of mind.
That shone through in the early stages at the PGE Narodowy Stadium, and the Scots might easily have added to McGinn’s opener before having to withstand a Polish barrage.
In what was one of the most entertaining games of the season, the Poles equalised and could have gone in front, but Scotland hung on, and the winning goal – John Souttar’s pinpoint cross and the captain’s flashing header – was of the highest quality.
Now, Clarke faces a two-legged, away then home, play-off against Greece in March, to retain our elite status, and if he can secure that, it will complete a remarkable comeback.
The last couple of matches have been a welcome reminder of the quality the manager has at his disposal. That had shone through during the outstanding start to Euro 2024 qualifying, but the side faded, and plumbed the depths at the Finals with an abject showing.
It is difficult to know exactly why that happened, but Scotland need our top stars to be firing on all cylinders, and we suffered in Germany because the likes of Scott McTominay, John McGinn and Billy Gilmour failed to hit the heights.
There may have been something of a hangover as the Nations League got under way, but the players now look to have rediscovered both their appetite and form, and the results have improved accordingly.
Steve Clarke has freshened up the group, which has also helped, and in Ben Doak, he has a rare talent, a youngster who offers something the national team has been missing for decades.
In McGinn, he has the talisman every team needs, and the revitalised Aston Villa midfielder moved into the top five all-time scoring list with his recent double. His total of 20 goals in 73 appearances is an impressive return.
Clarke has developed a good blend in the squad, the youthful element augmented by the more experienced cohort; seven of the players have now passed the half century of caps, and success in the spring would be a welcome springboard for next year’s World Cup qualifying campaign.
Hopefully Aberdeen can keep fun going through challenging run
With international football on the back burner until March, the domestic game will dominate for the next few months, and all Aberdeen fans will be desperate to see how the side fares when the Premiership resumes this afternoon.
The trip to Paisley kicks-off a demanding spell, with further away games against Hibernian and Hearts to follow before the Pittodrie showdown with Celtic at the start of next month.
Having matched the champions all the way, Aberdeen are going to have to maintain what has been a remarkable level of consistency if they are to in any way seriously challenge Brendan Rodgers’ team.
They will have to keep stringing together results in a way we have seen only rarely from a Dons side in the past four decades.
I still believe the title is beyond them – Celtic’s resources will almost certainly guarantee that – but it would be nice to see the fun continue for some time yet.
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