From the Arlington Bar to America, Scotland are back on the world stage

Ivividly remember the opening match of France ’98.

A few of my STV colleagues and I were in the Arlington Bar in Glasgow’s West End as we watched the cruellest of own goals. The ball glancing off Tom Boyd, trickling past Jim Leighton into the back of the net.

It felt like slow motion. It felt like a punch in the stomach.

Who would have thought we would suffer more pain – 27 years of pain. But not anymore.

The scenes of unbridled joy as Kenny McLean’s audacious strike from inside his own half against Denmark rubberstamped Scotland’s return to the global stage will live long in the memory. Very long. It was a night like no other.

The countless social media clips of the goals, Scotland fans going bananas, and Alasdair Lamont’s excellent commentary for BBC Radio Scotland went viral. And n