Scotland at the UEFA European Football Championships
The UEFA European Football Championships first took place in France in 1960 when four teams faced off against each other to be crowned continental champions of Europe. The tournament has taken place every four years since with host nations including Italy, Spain, Belgium, Sweden and England. While the competition may have changed in format and increased in number throughout the years, it remains a glorious celebration of the beautiful game. Scotland have played a number of memorable qualifying campaigns and reached the finals on two occasions, playing both events during the 1990s.
Euro 1992
After reaching the World Cup two years earlier, Scotland Manager Andy Roxburgh guided his team through qualification to finish top of their group to take them to the finals in Sweden. At the tournament proper, they were to face off against the Netherlands, Germany and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The Scotland squad was rich in home-based talent with just four players in the 20-man squad based in England. The team was led by the captain Richard Gough, and included talented players including Andy Goram, Ally McCoist, Maurice Malpas, Brian McClair, Gary McAllister, Tom Boyd and a young Duncan Ferguson.
Scotland’s first match took place in Gothenburg and resulted in a narrow loss to a strong Netherlands team with Dennis Bergkamp scoring the only goal. Just three days later, Roxburgh’s men lost by two goals to the eventual finalists Germany who were playing as a united country for the first time since the fall of the Berlin Wall. There was plenty of joy for Scotland’s faithful followers when the team emerged victorious with a 3-0 win against the CIS with McStay, McClair and McAllister all on the scoresheet. While it was a night to remember, it wasn’t enough to take Scotland through to the knockout stages.
Euro 1996
Having never qualified for a the finals before 1992, the national team were on a roll with new manager Craig Brown guiding his squad to their second successive European Championships. England was the host nation of a major tournament for the first time since they hosted and won the World Cup in 1966. Football’s Coming Home became the anthem of the summer and the Scotland supporters descended into England in their droves. Scotland was drawn in Group A which meant they were to face up against the host nation, England, known to some as the “Auld Enemy”. The Netherlands and Switzerland completed the group.
Scotland had a strong squad, made up of players including John Collins, Colin Hendry, Kevin Gallacher and team captain Gary McAllister. Fans gained hope after the opening match - a creditable 0-0 draw with a Netherlands team that included Ronald de Boer, Clarence Seedorf and Edgar Davids. The match against England will live long in the memory and on another day, Scotland could have taken something. A penalty was saved at a crucial moment with England keeper David Seaman on top form throughout the match. Great goals from England’s world-class players Shearer and Gascoigne meant Scotland were beaten but could take heart from the performance. Victory came in the final match with McCoist scoring the only goal against the Swiss. Scotland took a decent four points from the group, just like the Netherlands, but the Dutch’s superior goals tally put them through to the knockout stages.
EURO 2020... in 2021
Following a successful UEFA Nations League campaign, Alex McLeish's Scotland secured a play-off spot as a James Forrest hat-trick sealed a 3-2 victory over Israel. Following a tough start to our UEFA qualifying campaign, Steve Clarke would come in to lead the team, replacing McLeish.
The draw for the play-offs would see us play Israel at Hampden once again, followed by a trip to either Norway or Serbia. An incredible backing saw Scotland supporters snap up tickets, selling out Hampden. Just weeks before the crucial match in March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world, and football took a backseat.
UEFA EURO 2020 – to be partly hosted in Glasgow – would be postponed until the summer of 2021, with the play-offs re-scheduled for October and November 2020.
A crowd-less Hampden was the venue as Scotland and Israel played out a 0-0 draw over 120 minutes; in the penalty shoot-out Steve Clarke's side scored 5/5, while David Marshall was the hero to save from Eran Zehavi. With Serbia defeating Norway in the other play-off Semi-Final, the 12 November 2020 would see Scotland travel to Belgrade.
Scotland were excellent in normal time at the Stadion Rajko Mitic and deservedly went 1-0 ahead after 52 minutes, thanks to a Ryan Christie strike. With the final whistle just moments away a Luka Jovic header ensured the match would go the distance.
Despite the set-back, Scotland remained calm throughout extra-time and into the shoot-out where Griffiths, McGregor, McTominay, McBurnie and McLean all stepped upto the mark and hit the back of the net.
An unforgettable night saw David Marshall make history, as he – once again – made the winning save in a nailbiting penalty shoot out. There would be no heroic defeat this time.