How Scotland has scored their first victory of the World Cup even before it starts
Scotland’s men last tasted World Cup victory 36 years ago, but this time we’ve already had our first success
On June 16, 1990, in the Italian city of Genoa, something happened that sent a wave of joy across Scotland: our national men’s football team secured what turned out to be their last ever victory at a World Cup with a 2-1 win over Sweden.
Thirty-six years later, Scotland is preparing to contest the World Cup for the first time since France 1998 (when our best result was a draw against Norway).
We have a terrific team but it’s probably true to say that hopes are not quite as high as they were during the ‘glory days’ of routine qualification between 1974 and 1990 (with the less said about the hubris of 1978 the better). And, after the long years of failing to qualify, the Tartan Army faced an unexpected blow to their morale when it emerged that sporrans were set to fall foul of rules allowing only clear bags into stadiums.
However, following talks between Fifa and the Scottish Football Association, sporrans have been granted an exemption. The World Cup hasn’t even started yet and already we’ve won our first victory! Wha’s like us?
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