Glasgow –

The party started at 1:45 pm Glasgow time. Fifteen minutes before the start of the European Championship between the Scotland national team and the Czech Republic, the DJ played the song “Yes Sir, I Can Boogie” by Spanish pop duo Bacara at Hampden Park. The spectators danced and sang so loudly that you might imagine the stadium was completely full, although only 12,000 people were allowed into the European Championship Games in Glasgow due to coronavirus restrictions.

The Baccarat song is a type of unofficial Scottish national anthem as coach Steve Clarke’s team celebrates qualifying for the European Championship last November after winning the playoff on penalties against Serbia – the World Cup, a major tournament since 1998. The first was qualification.

Scotland back on the big stage

After 23 years, Scotland is back on the big stage, and fans are in the same festive mood that was evident before the duel with the Czech Republic. However, the guests turned out to be spectacular party crashers in the person of Patrick Schick of Bayer Leverkusen. The attacker scored both goals for his team’s 2–0 victory, the first goal just before the break, the second just after the change – with a contender for the goal of the tournament. Schick noticed that Scotland’s goalkeeper David Marshall was too far ahead of his line and picked up the ball from the center line into the net.

The win gives the Czechs a good starting position in Group D – and puts Scotland under immense pressure. On Friday it is the “Old Enemy” against England at Wembley Stadium, followed by Croatia at Hampden Park. The Scots must win one of these games if they want to survive in the group stage for the first time on their return.

With windy, cold temperatures and gray skies, Scotland and the Czech Republic fought a match that was manageable in terms of level, but still did not leave anyone bored – which of course was also due to the atmosphere at Hampden Park. A few minutes later, a collective scream from the stands sounded like a goal, while Scotland took out the first corner. The team had some passable advances in the first half, but they weren’t necessary. Striker Lyndon Dykes missed the goal with a straight tap, while Czech goalkeeper Tomas Vklik crossed Andrew Robertson’s shot.

bad news for scots

Robertson of Liverpool FC is the captain and most prominent player of Scotland. He leads a promising team alongside Premier League professionals such as Scott McTominay of Manchester United, John McGuin from Aston Villa and Kieran Tierney from Arsenal FC. However, he missed the game against the Czech Republic due to a training injury – a bad news for the Scots.

You could have used left-back, for example in the 42nd minute. Tierney may have prevented the cross from Vladimir Kaufal, who Schick headed for the check and thus sucked the mood from Hampden Park. At the start of the second half, the spectators encouraged their team again, but it was not long before it became clear that the Scots’ first tournament game since 1998 would not have a happy ending. With his scintillating shot from almost 50 metres, Schick decided the game in the 52nd minute.

Scotland didn’t give up, not at all. The team tried very hard to at least have a relationship, but it was unsuccessful. And so the Scottish crowd will be in bad shape before they face England on Friday.