Every single Scots person there knew what was going to happen.
There were two huge screens inside Seville’s Estadio de La Cartuja. They were red and showed “VAR check in progress.”
As they looked up, a navy blue sea of moving arms and legs came to a stop. First to the TV screen, then to the sky.
A few seconds ago, Scott McTominay’s amazing whipped free kick looked like it put Scotland ahead 1-0 with 30 minutes to go in Spain. Thirty minutes away from the European Championships. A half hour from the past.
But judge Serdar Gozubuyuk and his VAR team didn’t agree. Scotland’s luck, which had been working like magic all night, finally ran out when the Dutch official walked over to the monitor next to the field.
There was a lot of confusion in the immediate chaos, and even afterward, it wasn’t clear why the goal was ruled out. This was followed by two goals at the other end that made it take longer for the guests to qualify.
“That changes the whole night,” Steve Clarke, the boss, told BBC Scotland.
The only thing Clarke’s team needed was a point to make it to Germany next year, and they had a lot of luck with their defense in the first half, when leader Andy Robertson got hurt and had to leave.
Things changed in the game, though, when McTominay hit the top corner, but it didn’t count. Did Jack Hendry play too slowly? Did he get in the way of the game? Do you think he fouled the Spain goalkeeper?
“McTominay’s fine free-kick is so close to being a super goal,” stated Clarke.
“At first, Jack is one centimeter offside.” When he moves toward the goalie, they ask the judge to look at it. They think Jack is getting in the way of the keeper’s work. I’m not sure if the goalie can stop that shot anyway.
“That’s what hurts”
John McGinn, a midfielder for Scotland, said the judge changed his mind. He also said, “Every Scot would be angry to see that.” The goal, you think you have a goal to reach. What an unbelievable hit from Scotty. That won’t be saved by any guard in the world.
“The referee calls it a foul.” He changes his mind during the game and now says it’s an offside. Not sure if that makes sense. That’s the thing that really hurts. We score in the big moment. Jack’s right leg is out of bounds, but it’s a very strong call.
Radio host Steven Thompson from BBC Sport Scotland said, “You’re kidding me,” as he watched from the press box. Do you really mean that? From so high to so low in a flash.”
James McFadden, a former star player for Scotland, told Sportscene, “The referee points for a foul.” To begin with, it’s not a foul.
“After that, it looks like it was called back because the player was offside.” While Jack Hendry is offside, he does make contact with the goalkeeper, which means he is legally stepping in.
Do you think the goalie is going to come get it? “I don’t believe he does.”
For the Scots, it started a downhill spiral of sadness that got worse as the game went on.
Alvaro Morata scored the first goal with his head, Ryan Porteous put a pass into his own net while he was trying to clear, and Che Adams missed a great chance to tie the game.
Now all eyes are on Norway’s game against Spain on Sunday. If Norway doesn’t win, Clarke’s team, who still has two games left, will go to Germany.
“Scotland will be mad tonight because they’ve lost two games in a row to Spain and England,” said Pat Nevin, a former player for Scotland.
“You could see what the Scots were doing.” The grown-up plan didn’t quite work out.
“Steve Clarke can tell the gamers, ‘If we beat Georgia, we’re out.'” At the start of the campaign, you would have taken that.
