You can stop pinching yourself. It really did happen. Scotland are going to the Euros next summer.
It should come as no surprise 22 years of pain was perfectly encapsulated in a dramatic night in Belgrade as Steve Clarke’s side and five million fans back home endured an emotional rollercoaster like no other.
Playing well and deserving to win a game never quite go together for the national team and when Serbia netted a 90th minute equaliser to break Scottish hearts we all felt that familiar excruciating pang of “here we go again”.
Fast forward 40 minutes and Scotland had, once again, reaffirmed their new moniker as penalty shootout experts following a flawless 100% conversion ratio.
Former Scotland striker Billy Dodds knows just how tense the players felt. He has been in their position of playing in a play-off, back in 1999 against England.
The 51 year-old has watched two decades of failed campaigns weigh heavily on the Scotland players, which is why he believes Thursday’s dramatic spot-kick success is a pivotal moment for Clarke and his squad.
He said: “I was just breaking into the squad in 1998, but didn’t make the squad for France. Nobody at that time would think it would be more than 20 years after the World Cup that year before Scotland qualified for a major tournament.
“The pressure has grown on every squad and manager with each passing campaign where we failed to get there and I can only imagine how these lads must have felt.
“A few years ago we were questioning the system and the personnel within the system but we’ve seen the performances getting better.
“There has been a sense of desperation for the whole country. These guys were little boys in 1998 so for them to take all that pressure that the country has felt, which has been a millstone around the neck for Scotland players for years and, end the run is fantastic.”
For the watching Tartan Army, the pendulum swung mercilessly as the tension mounted in Belgrade and Dodds insists the resilience and determination shown by captain Andy Robertson and his team-mates should not be underestimated.
The Scots were on the ropes but they refused to buckle.
Dodds said: “We saw the typical Scotland up and down game of playing so well and deservedly leading before being hit with the sucker punch in the last minute.
“We had every facet of the game though in terms of the way we played, the way we defended and the mental strength to come through the body blow and stand up for the penalties. It’s not easy after two hours of constant pressure and effort.
“To come up with the mental strength to score all five penalties to go through was fantastic and the players deserve all the credit. They were on their knees, but they stood up and came through when it mattered.
“It was a game of ups and downs as per usual. David Marshall pulled off a stunning save in extra-time and then saved the penalty. He knew not to celebrate until the fourth official gave it the thumbs up that he wasn’t off his line.”
In a year which has been anything but normal, a break from the routine as far as the Scottish national team is concerned is being celebrated.
Now the challenge is to get Covid-19 under control so that the supporters can really be part of the party once more. Dodds hopes the virus does not create the ultimate sting in this tale.
He said: “Everything is looking rosy, but it’s hard to sink in that we’re going to the finals for the first time in 22 years.
“It would be the biggest glorious failure of all if the fans were banned from attending the games next summer or if the tournament was cancelled. I really don’t want to think about that.”
