The scene at the end was a thing of sheer beauty. For half an hour, the tartan-clad wave of humanity which had descended on Mount Florida felt as if they’d been taken to a celestial place by what they’d just witnessed.
All around you, chaos ensued. Strangers embraced like long-lost brothers and sisters. Children were perched on shoulders so they could catch a glimpse of the magnificent mayhem which was unfolding on the pitch.
There was dancing, singing and tears of joy. After six failures to reach the World Cup, Scotland were in seventh heaven.
Hampden had borne witness to a few things down the years, but it’s hard to imagine that any could have topped this. Having waited since 1998 for a ninth appearance at the Greatest Show on Earth, those fortunate enough to witness it will remember this night for the rest of their days.
The safety net of the play-offs in March can be cut loose. All eyes are now on Washington DC on December 5 to see if the draw deals us a kind hand.
That’s all for another day, though. From John O’Groats to Jedburgh, the joy at a generational wait finally being over will be unconfined.
Scotland were heading across the Atlantic when Scott McTominay scored an astonishing early overhead kick only for Denmark to level with a dubious penalty.
Kenny McLean is mobbed after grabbing a stunning fourth and final goal at Hampden
Scott McTominay had kicked things off with an audacious opener to stun the Danes
Steve Clarke hails substitute Kieran Tierney after his clinical strike to make it 3-2
Lawrence Shankland put the nation back in dreamland with 12 minutes remaining only for the Danes to hit back again.
To describe what happened in injury time as extraordinary wouldn’t begin it do it justice. Kieran Tierney’s bullet on 93 minutes restored the slender advantage before Kenny McLean executed an audacious chip in the 99th minute to end all doubt.
This was truly a night for the ages — one which will be retold many times many years from now.
Steve Clarke let it slip in his media conference on Monday that a few people tried to talk him out of taking the manager’s job when it came up in 2019. Thank goodness he’s a man who knows his own mind.
The 62-year-old now becomes the first manager in history to take Scotland to three major finals. He’s created something quite magnificent from the rubble he walked into.
Skipper Andy Robertson had been keen to dismiss talk of the stars aligning for Scotland following Belarus’ shock draw in Copenhagen. The skipper described it as ‘dangerous territory’, warning that a place in the finals had to be earned the hard way.
Clarke’s players held on to that message tight throughout an evening which was scarcely believable. They dug in when the going got tough and dug out a spectacular result to go with the wins over Spain, Norway, Serbia and Croatia. None, though, meant quite as much as this one.
So breathless were the opening stages that it felt like a tornado had blown through the ground.
Scotland initially were everything Clarke would have hoped for. They won first balls and pounced on the scraps. The tempo was high, their passing on point.
A pirouette by John McGinn was met with approval from the stands. Ryan Christie barged an opponent out if the way when he’d no right to win the ball.. It set an impressive tone.
The opener came as Denmark tried to get up for air. It was a sublime effort by McTominay, one which instantly went down as one of the greatest goals scored in this famous old place.
Ben Gannon-Doak bobbed and weaved down the right. He put two Danish shirts off balance then cut back onto his right foot.
His cross asked the impossible of McTominay. Somehow, he delivered it.
Leaning back, he caught the ball perfectly with his right foot and sent it spinning towards the top corner. The celebrations were raucous.
The Scots suffered a blow when the dangerous Ben Gannon-Doak was injured
The Danes were stung. They made unforced errors and were unable to get up with the frantic pace of the game.
For all Craig Gordon denied Rasmus Hojlund and Scott McKenna blocked Victor Froholdt’s strike, Scotland looked comfortable.
All that changed when Gannon-Doak left the scene on a stretcher in tears on 21 minutes.
Denmark began to control the game. Scotland were made to suffer.
Hojlund bundled the ball home only to be penalised for a foul of Aaron Hickey.
The red shirts were now penning Scotland in. Clarke urged his players to get up the park, but the waves of attacks prevented them from doing so.
Another half-chance for Hojlund came from Patrick Dorgu’s cross. His header was just over. It was becoming a tough watch.
Scotland were looking nervous. There were heavy touches and poor decisions. Denmark were finding pockets of space.
There was blessed relief whenever a man in dark blue drew a tactical foul. Too often, however, they were caught in possession.
Those believing the change of ends might see a change in the pattern were guilty of wishful thinking.
The Danes continued where they left off. Hojlund rattled a strike low to Gordon’s right. The veteran turned it away for a corner.
Yet it felt like only a matter of time before Scotland’s resistance would be broken.
The frustration was that it came through a clumsy challenge by Andy Robertson on Gustav Isaksen.
Scotland will long argue that the Dane’s feet were outside the box when he took the hit and they might well have a point.
All that mattered in the moment was that Polish referee Szymon Marciniak agreed with VAR’s belief that the infringement merited a spot kick. Hojlund smashed the ball high into the top corner to square the match.
Scotland badly needed a lift. It came quickly when Rasmus Kristensen picked up his second booking for a tug on McGinn. Would the extra man count?
Shankland and Che Adams were introduced. Tierney soon followed them.
Too often, Scotland were in too big a hurry. An aimless Robertson cross saw a promising attack break down.
Hope was starting to ebb away when Lewis Ferguson spotted a corner. His delivery invited five Danish defenders to attack the ball. None did. Shankland helped himself to a tap-in from three yards.
Rasmus Hojlund had equalised from the spot to make it 1-1 on the night
Scotland were 12 minutes from the World Cup, yet their hopes were dashed within four of them.
Untidy defending allowed Andreas Christensen to play in Dorgu. A calm side-foot finish squared the game.
McGinn thought he’d restored the advantage with a curler which rose too high at the last. Another heartbreaking episode loomed larger.
We were already three minutes into injury time when everything changed. Another cross was repelled by a Danish head. Tierney stepped forward with one thing on his mind. He unleashed a missile from the edge of the box which flew past his Celtic team-mate Kasper Schmeichel. The roar would have been heard for miles around,
Still Denmark came. There was a horrible moment when Dorgu sold McGinn a dummy, but the defence stood tall and cleared.
The break was on. Suddenly it was four against one. McLean thought about heading for the corner flag but thought again. A majestic clip of his left foot chipped Schmeichel from 40 yards.
The entire bench pursued McLean to the corner flag. It was finally over. Hampden rejoiced. Let the planning begin.
