A billion, Brazilians, bedlam - how 25 years on from France 98 opener Scotland have chance of all-time first

There is nothing strange about the fact Scotland’s players wouldn’t have been sitting about their Spanish training camp this weekend gassing about one of the most wistfully-recalled days in the entire history of the national team.

John Collins, with Darren Jackson sharing the jubilation, sets off on a celebration following his penalty equaliser against Brazil in the France 98 opener that he now as certain regrets over. (Photo credit: Toshifumi Kitamura /AFP via Getty Images)

After all, not one of them could have any deeply-embedded first-hand memories of the day when Scotland weren’t so much football kings but shared the airspace of the game’s most regal presence. In the most intoxicating of ambiences. ​A total of 25 years have now passed since Scotland, around tea-time on June 10, 1998, in the opening game of France 98, gave champions Brazil a real fright before losing 2-1 in agonising circumstances. A World Cup curtain-raiser that, in claiming the eyeballs of an estimated one billion people across the planet, represents far and away the most high-profile game ever played by a Scotland national team. The nation’s last participation in football’s pinnacle global tournament so long ago that the current crop need to rely on YouTube footage for a sense of why recollections of it are so seared for anyone over the age of 35.

Steve Clark’s squad are in Spain preparing for the upcoming Euro 2024 double header that will see them face Norway and Georgia for a double-header that has the potential to become storied in its own way. Four players - Billy Gilmour, Nathan Patterson, Lewis Ferguson and Ryan Porteous - weren’t even born when Craig Brown’s men fronted up to the Stade de France dressed in kilts for their brush with global attention. Of the rest, only Stuart Armstrong and Ryan Jack - the oldies who were aged six back then - Zander Clark and Liam Cooper had even started school. They might have a flicker of recall of the day when champions Brazil kicked off the jamboree for the first time since beginning an unsuccessful defence of their title in Germany in 1974 and little Scotland were thrust into a wholly unfamiliar spotlight.

In a personal sense, it was a mind-melt to sit in a press box and be surrounded by the cream of this dear orb’s football writing community as they prepared to report on our humble nation. Even as Brown’s team were only the sideshow for these scribes, on duty to file first impressions on the favourites for the tournament. Likewise, with the madcapery that ensued from the game’s then most celebrated performer, Ronaldo, choosing to stop right in front of me in the mixed zone afterwards. It was a decision that resulted in me being buckled by a pile-on amid the bedlam created by a scrum of camera-wielding and mic-thrusting Brazilians barking aggressively at the striker as they demanded explanations for their team’s unconvincing showing.

Brazil’s impassioned followers had been left appalled by their team’s samba style being stiff against a Scotland team they were expected to send in to a spin. Their victory was only earned through the most unfortunate own goal 21 minutes from the end of what became an edgy encounter. Tom Boyd then powerless to prevent the ball ricocheting off his chest and over the line via a rebound from a Cafu toe-poke. In a Scotland context, the evening belonged to his former Celtic team-mate John Collins. Many fans watching at home will recall the Monaco midfielder winking at the camera as it panned the team line-ups at the anthem. However, his most widely remembered contribution was his ice-cool 38th-minute penalty conversion for an award he has acknowledged was “soft”, Spanish referee Jose Maria Garcia Aranda pointing to the spot when Kevin Gallacher fell on being held back by Cesar Sampaio, who had shouldered in a corner to open the scoring after only four minutes.

In celebration, Collins tore off towards the section housing his family and friends but remains regretful over what else he did as the delirium consumed him. “During that World Cup, Craig Brown brought four young players from the under-21s and under-19s along to gain some experience,” Collins reflected later. “We all got really close to the boys as they were with us all the time. The night before the game Keiran McAnespie, who was the chirpy one, asked me how I would celebrate if I tucked away a penalty. I asked him what he wanted me to do, so Keiran said if I score I must point to my name on the back of my jersey. I got a bit of stick for being egotistical and I often wonder if I should have done it as it was a bit showy but I enjoyed the moment.”

One stand-out memory of this writer is that The Verve’s Bittersweet Symphony bookended Scotland’s participation in the tournament. It belted out from the sound system in Paris just ahead of Brown’s side taking the field. Then two weeks later it ended up drowning out the Scotland coach as he gave his debrief to journalists in the bowels of St Etienne’s stadium following the 3-0 loss to Morocco that brought a sorry end to the adventure. There has been the bitter but not much sweet for the country on the international stage since. Even qualification for the delayed Euro 2020 finals, although ending 23 years without an appearance in a major tournament, had to be achieved with a penalty shootout success against Serbia in an empty Belgrade stadium as necessitated by pandemic restrictions.

Clarke’s men have the opportunity to know the most unadulterated of pleasures this week, though. On the back of beating Spain 2-0 in March, wins away to Norway and at home to Georgia would allow them to move within touching distance of reaching Euro 2024. Success on that front would represent their greatest feat since reaching France a quarter of a century ago. Moreover, not in almost 70 years of pitching for major finals has a Scotland team ever won their opening four matches in a qualifying campaign. The world won’t be looking on if they do that in the next week or so, but it would be enough that Europe would take note.