Eighteen years to the day when Scotland saw off Latvia on a rousing Celtic Park afternoon to qualify for the 1998 World Cup, departure from the Euro 2016 scene was at least confirmed with dignity intact. Gordon Strachan’s team were expected to see off hapless Gibraltar and duly did so without an iota of fuss. There were even elements of belated Scotland swagger, a hat-trick for Steven Fletcher and a post-match bond between support and team that even some successful regimes are not afforded.
The importance of that 1997 juncture will be lost on no Scottish fan; it marked the last time qualification for a major tournament was achieved. The intervening years have provided varying degrees of agony, none more so than the circumstances last Thursday evening.
Scotland have no option but to look forward, primarily to another World Cup qualifying campaign. The key question involves whether or not Strachan will hang around to oversee it.
The 58-year-old remained coy over his plans after this rout but there is a growing sense, including among his squad, that he will hang around. If the scenes in Faro are anything to go by he has the Tartan Army’s backing to do precisely that.
“This was a special night,” Strachan said. “This is the most wonderful job, a job that I have really enjoyed. The players in there are buzzing, all because of the support they got. I am so proud to be the Scotland manager. This has been a fantastic experience.” This marked Scotland’s biggest away win since an 8-2 thumping of Northern Ireland in 1949.
The general secretary of the Gibraltar FA, Dennis Beiso, used his programme notes to express gratitude to his Scottish counterparts for backing its Uefa membership “when support across Europe was hard to come by”. The blunt reality is Gibraltar have done nothing to suggest they are worthy of such status.
More consistent value comes from the Scottish following. Although trips to the Algarve would have been booked long before this match was confirmed as a dead rubber, those in the area would have been entitled not to attend on account of another let-down.
Those supporters turned out, to the tune of roughly 10,000, with their mass appreciation of Strachan’s efforts apparent in verse within one minute of kick-off. Strachan, whose shyness is routinely disguised by attempts at comedy, responded with a wave.
It took 25 minutes for Scotland to breach Jamie Robba’s resistance. Gibraltar’s goalkeeper denied Fletcher and Shaun Maloney with fine saves – the same pair had wasted other opportunities – before the inevitable transpired.
Maloney’s corner was met by Gordon Greer and the Brighton defender’s net-bound header was helped on its way by Derby County’s Chris Martin. Maloney doubled Scotland’s lead before half-time with a curling effort. Already this was game over. Fletcher claimed the quickfire second-half double his performance deserved. The Sunderland forward headed home an Alan Hutton cross before scoring via a post with a controlled, low finish four minutes later.
Scott Brown, the Scotland captain, made way for Darren Fletcher just after the hour. Fletcher thereby won his 70th cap, a matter worthy of special credit because of the serious illness which afflicted him for so long.
Fletcher later secured his second three-goal haul against Gibraltar with his left foot from 20 yards. In the dying seconds Everton’s Steven Naismith knocked home the sixth.
“We have a debrief now,” said Strachan. “We’ll see how we’re getting on, see if we can progress and speak to people who are in my life. That’s the management side and the family side.”
