At the outset, to assure any Tartan Army footsoldiers just surfacing from their celebrations over the long weekend, what you are about to read actually took place and is not a figment of any whisky-induced fugue state.
Scotland under-21s capped off a dream week for the country by producing a mature and accomplished display to see off The Netherlands last night by two goals to nil at the Paisley 2021 Stadium.
Read it again if you must. Drink it in. It might be a while before Scottish football has a week like this again.
Then again, on this evidence, perhaps it won’t be. Oliver Burke and home favourite Stephen Mallan were the men to get the all-important goals, but this was a win born of a terrific team display, with not one failure in dark blue.
“It was a really good performance, a strong performance,” said triumphant head coach Scot Gemmill.
“We challenged them to play with that intensity, determination, willingness, concentration and intelligence. You have to give them a lot of credit, to play that at that level against very good opposition from pot two.
“The players are deservedly very pleased with themselves. They really showed their level.”
The work ethic, the pressing, the passing and the passion were all a joy to watch, and nobody embodied that more than the terrifically gifted winger Lewis Morgan down Scotland’s left. Those at St Mirren’s ground last night, and for however long he is here as a player, should savour it. He may not be here for long.
Was it a surprise to see the young Scots earn such a convincing victory? Given the Dutch romped to a six-one victory in their last visit here, yes. And there have been some lean times for the under-21s in the three years since.
But if the headline-grabbing win over Brazil in the Toulon Tournament gave cause for optimism, this triumph to get the European under-21 Championship qualifiers off to a flyer was a clear sign that Gemmill might just be on to something here.
The young Scots had pace and invention. They started brightly and forced a few corners through good work on either flank by Tony Ralston and Morgan. Centre-back Scott McKenna should have opened the scoring from one of these, blazing over when free at the back post.
The Dutch grew into it, but it was home hero Morgan who was providing the standout moments, coming close when he stole the ball in midfield before driving beyond the wonderfully-named Denzel Dumfries, who must surely have a Scottish granny, and dragging a shot just wide.
The visitors hadn’t been seen much as a threat, but they came mightily close to breaking the deadlock as Pablo Rosario drove to the byline before cutting back for striker Steven Bergwin to smack the ball off Ryan Fulton’s left-hand post.
If anything though, manager Gemmill may have been a little disappointed not to be leading as the teams made their way inside.
Ironically, it was Burke who had perhaps been the most peripheral figure, but he stepped up when it mattered to give Scotland the lead just after the hour.
Morgan’s enterprising run won a corner on the left, and Mallan again aimed for McKenna at the back post, who forced the ball into the centre. The Scotland skipper was left with the simple task of knocking home.
Surely it couldn’t get any better for the home fans? Well, particularly for those of a St Mirren bent, it was about to.
A poor backpass from Rosario was seized upon by former Buddies youngster Mallan, and he hammered home past Drommel to double Scotland’s lead.
Burke might have got a third after springing the offside trap only to skew wide, but that would just have been greedy. Pass the whisky.
SCOTLAND: Fulton; Ralston, Souttar, McKenna, Taylor; Cadden, Mallan, Wilson, Morgan; Thomas (McCrorie, 72’); Burke (Archibald, 85’).
Scorers: Burke (63’), Mallan (78’)
Booked: Mallan (77’)
NETHERLANDS: Drommel; Dumfries, st. Juste, van Drongelen, Ouwejan; Til (Idrissi, 69’), Rosario, de Jong, Kastaneer (Lammers, 63’); Ramselaar, Bergwin (Zivkovic, 76’).
Booked: Ramselaar (83’), Zivkovic (90’), st. Juste (90’)
Referee: Rade Obrenovic (Slovenia)
Attendance: 2474
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