Scotland 2 Spain 0: Man Utd star McTominay the hero as Scots taste first triumph for THIRTY-NINE years against Spaniards
SCOTT MCTOMINAY was Hampden’s unlikely hero yet again as Scotland stunned Spain.
The Scots had gone 39 years without even a sniff of a victory over the Spaniards – the last coming in a 1984 World Cup qualifier.
On that day, Jock Stein was manager, Graeme Souness captain and Kenny Dalglish netted his last ever international goal in a famous 3-1 victory on home soil.
The Tartan Army finally have new names to sing in the rafters of Hampden Park with Steve Clarke producing a tactical masterclass and skipper Andy Robertson leading from the front.
In fact, Clarke was in the stands with his father for that ’84 classic.
On this occasion, standing in the dug-out, he must have been bursting at the seams with pride.
Yet it is McTominay who will go down in folklore – the Manchester United midfielder firing past Chelsea’s Kepa in each half to send his nation into footballing dreamland.
McTominay may appear surplus to requirements at Old Trafford under Erik ten Hag, but he is a vital cog in Clarke’s machine having also scored twice late on to see off Cyprus last weekend.
A natural goal scorer he is not, or so we thought. Before this international break, McTominay’s one and only strike came against Israel in October 2021.
He now has five for his country, somehow scoring four in three days.
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Two wins from two in a tricky qualifying group. These Scottish fans can already taste the frothy German steins awaiting them at the Euros next summer.
The stars look to be aligning. On the two other occasions Scotland have beaten Spain in a qualifier (1984 and 1957) they have gone on to reach a major tournament.
Clarke will remain grounded, as he always does, but he could not have dreamed for a better start to this campaign.
As for Spain, their miserable form continues. They were embarrassed at the Qatar World Cup by Morocco in the Last 16, ultimately costing Luis Enrique his job.
And now, under Luis de la Fuente, they are still capable of producing damaging performances to forget – their first defeat in a Euros qualifier for nine years.
De la Fuente’s gamble to make eight changes after their opening 3-0 win over Norway backfired big time, but they still should have had enough to deal with Scotland’s tenacity.
The hosts’ bright start paid off – Tottenham’s Pedro Porro slipping in his own box allowing Robertson to cut back for an unmarked McTominay after just seven minutes.
Joselu – making his first start in a Spain shirt – came closest in response, smacking the bar with a header before Porro’s long range shot forced Angus Gunn to tip over.
Spain failed to learn their lessons after the break with another tepid showing.
McTominay grabbed his second with an identical finish in the 51st minute, this time from a Kieran Tierney delivery after a sublime drive from deep.
A display Spain want etched from their memories, while Scotland rewrote their history books.