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Scotland's national stadium has witnessed many unforgettable occasions over its long history since 1903. Remember this match to the list. Scotland's long absence has concluded. Steve Clarke, the captain, Scott McTominay, the playmaker; you shall go to the ball. Along with them the defender, whose swerving strike from 22 yards appeared to secured victory in a high-scoring affair before Kenny McLean executed an still more stunning final goal.

Almost 30 years of frustration, during which the Scottish men's team have seen the global tournament from a distance, were erased as the Danish team fell to a loss in added time. Adult fans in traditional dress cried. Denmark's chance in the next tournament depends on playoff matches. Clarke and a now ecstatic football nation can prepare concrete arrangements.

PhD students could write papers on how on earth Scotland achieved this. They looked defeated at moments, as recently as Saturday when falling to a loss in Greece. It was as though fate had decreed the Scottish team had waited quite enough for a return to the World Cup. The contributions of Tierney and the midfielder were extraordinary.

The Game Kicks Off

The evening had supposedly started in challenging circumstances for Scotland. The defender, who had been set to partner the centre-back in central defence, was injured in the pregame. Grant Hanley stepped in. Any sense of problem was dispelled within three minutes.

It was some of the most spectacular strikes scored at the stadium in recent times.

Ben Gannon-Doak jinked and weaved on the wing. His arched delivery was expected to be challenging for the midfielder to navigate. He was with his back to goal, initially. Instead, McTominay propelled himself into the air and landed an bicycle kick past the reach of the goalkeeper. This historic venue exploded, not only in appreciation of the opening goal but the unique circumstances in which it occurred. Wow.

Midfield Contest

The Scottish midfielder was playing like a man possessed. Gannon-Doak looked explosive. The home team's threat resonated in attacking too ferociously; Craig Gordon blocked from the Danish striker after the opposition striker was through on goal. The assistant's flag was raised but he might have been onside a VAR review were it required. As Mikkel Damsgaard sent a ball across the Scottish area and McKenna blocked effectively from Victor Froholdt, the Scots were in a fight to hold their advantage.

The winger had rattled the Danish team with his quickness. It felt a significant setback to the manager, at that point, as the Bournemouth man overstretched when attempting to stop a cross. He left the scene on a medical cart after only 20 minutes.

The striker soon had the ball in the goal but was flagged for a foul on the defender. By the half-hour, Scotland were playing extremely on the edge, a fact further emphasised as the defender turned a midfielder shot narrowly off target. Yet Scotland reached the halftime still ahead. They were also denied of a golden opportunity of a additional goal, Rasmus Kristensen smartly taking out the midfielder, earning a yellow card, after the midfielder capitalised on Danish mistakes.

Second Half Action

Højlund made Gordon into a sharp, down save in the opening moments of the second half. If the Scots were going to do this, 45 minutes would be like the decades since the tournament. Given Denmark only needed a tie, the flow of play right from the onset of the half felt ominous for the hosts. They were managing – to a point – in breaking up Danish offensives but immediately giving the ball right back to the players in the away kit.

When the equaliser arrived, it came with the whiff of cordite associated.

The referee initially noticed nothing wrong with the captain's tackle on Gustav Isaksen on the edge of the box. Indeed, it seemed the player went down into the ground. After being instructed to look again by the video assistant referee, Szymon Marciniak pointed to the penalty spot. Højlund blasted into the net. On the overall play, the equalizer was the minimum Denmark deserved but Scotland had reason to be upset about the circumstances.

Final Heroics

The only thing exciting match was missing was a dismissal. It came on the hour, Kristensen another infraction of the night on a attacking McGinn bringing another caution. Now Clarke twisted by throwing on the forwards one substitute and Che Adams.

This decision was to prove effective. Denmark's defending of an curling Lewis Ferguson set piece was shambolic, allowing the striker to finish. The substitute, introduced for his predatory instinct, demonstrated exactly that. The Danish head coach Brian Riemer, though, had cause to be upset at how simple it was.

Scotland had little time to extend their lead. In moments, Patrick Dorgu stroked home after a teammate laid into his way inside the box from goal. On this occasion the defense were overly lenient.

Adams flicked a header off target. The midfielder's bending shot just went past the post. Then came Tierney and a strike fit to win any match. McLean added gloss: from the center circle, indeed.