Paul Lambert looked to his right at the Stade de France and surveyed Scotland’s opponents. World champion Brazil, no less.
“They were all there – Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Roberto Carlos, Cafu,” said the midfielder in the moments before the opening game of the 1998 World Cup, Scotland’s last major tournament.
They looked great – the gold shirts, they smelled good, and the hair wasn’t out of place. Then I looked back in front of me and there was a big Jim Leighton, with Vaseline on his eyebrows and no teeth!
Scotland shocked Brazil by reaching its 1998 World Cup match in the jersey
The humble Scots were amazed when they faced Brazilian superstars like Ronaldo (centre)
“We had Colin Hendry with his big blonde hair, Craig Burley with no teeth and no sun tan between us.”
Rather than sink, Lambert believes Scotland scored an advantage in those seconds before the teams appeared in a world watching.
There was a deathly silence. Then, out of nowhere, a voice shouted through the tunnel behind us, “Don’t worry guys. They’re fucking themselves!”
I turned around and there was our manager, Craig Brown. It was invaluable. We gave them a good match against that.
Earlier, Scotland arrived at the stadium in tartan skirts. Again, says Lambert, this gave them a psychological advantage.
I was walking next to Edmundo, who was reading the match programme, and he just caught his eye. He looked up as if to say, “What the fuck is that?”. He was so cool, I can still see his face now. They must have thought we were out of our heads.
Paul Lambert believes that wearing shirts gives them a psychological advantage over their opponents
The stadium was just full and it was roaring when we walked out onto the pitch in our clothes, it was unbelievable. Even the Brazilians loved it. We felt like we were on top of the world. Scotland’s colors were reduced within five minutes when Cesar Sampaio headed home from a corner kick, but a John Collins penalty equalized before the break.
In the 16th minute of playing time, Cafu broke into the penalty area and when his shot was blocked by Leighton, the ball rebounded from Tom Boyd into the net.
Lambert laughs when told that Cafu claimed in an interview with us last year that the goal was his, although he notes that Boyd would be happy to let him have it.
“You see that goal,” Lambert says. If you hit Boydy in the chest, I think the ball dies faster and Colin [Hendry] It can be erased from the line. But she hit him between the shoulder joint and the arm and flew inside. It was a strange thing.
Lambert played while the Tartan Army came out of a 2-1 defeat despite being an underdog
Scotland were denied a penalty in the second half for a handball – “With VAR, it’s a penalty, but we didn’t get two against Brazil” – says Lambert – but at least the way the match ended paints a smile.
“I knew time was running out and the ball came to me, so I had a 40-yard swing… the referee obviously thought, ‘I don’t have that’ and we blow full time!”
Lambert, a Champions League winner with Dortmund the previous year, was praised for his direct work at Rivaldo. “I still have his shirt at home,” he says. But I am used to this level of opponent, I did the same with Zinedine Zidane [of Juventus) in the Champions League final.’
It was, in many ways, a victory in defeat for the Scots against the favourites. They took that feeling into their next game with Norway. ‘We battered them. It was roasting hot but we ran all over them.’ Craig Burley made it 1-1 midway through the second half. ‘We should have gone on to win. They were going down with cramp and time-wasting. That was the game that got away.’
Lambert was right, it would prove costly. ‘We still went into Morocco quite optimistic. But let’s be honest, we were s***. We got beat 3-0 and deserved it. There were arguments in the dressing-room at half-time. Rightly so. Craig [Brown] He was trying to calm everyone down, but the words had to be said.
John Collins sent Scotland raving after the equalizing penalty at Wembley
There was a lot of disappointment. We just had dinner and went to bed. There was no, ‘Go out, drink and enjoy yourself’. But if we knew it would take another 23 years…”
That brings us to now, and Monday’s late return to the big tournament when Steve Clarke’s side face the Czech Republic at Hampden Park.
“I love them so much, they are such a well-balanced team,” says Lambert. “They look like a team, as we did, with such spirit and organization.
“We have players at the big clubs again as well. It makes a huge difference in the mentality of your team.
Lambert will be commenting on the radio during Friday’s game against England at Wembley, with the idea that he could consider his country a victory.
Most of our guys know exactly what they’re up against, they battle them for the top spot in the Premier League every week. It is not a mismatch.
President Craig Brown let out a rallying cry, “Don’t worry guys. They’re fucking themselves!”
“I think we could win it in midfield. If the likes of John McGinn and Scott McTominay can get the match, we have a good chance.
Scotland’s last win was at Wembley Stadium in 1999, although their 1-0 win was not enough to reverse their 2-0 first-leg defeat of Auld Enemy’s Euro 2000 playoff.
Lambert, then a Celtic player, missed those matches after breaking his jaw and losing several of his teeth when he blocked a shot in the Old Firm derby.
“It was crazy to play that match the weekend before England. But it was the concussion that kept me away, I was going to play with a rotten face.
Craig Brown always said if I had been there Paul Scholes wouldn’t have scored twice in the first leg. I did the same job with Zidane and Rivaldo. So maybe, maybe not.
Only now, more than two decades later, can Scotland finally stop wondering what could have been.
Scottish planning for the last 16
Scotland are so confident of reaching the Round of 16 at Euro 2020 that their analysts are already considering potential second-round opponents.
Assistant technical director John Carver has revealed that every angle is being covered as they attempt to become the first Scottish team to make it past the group stage in a major tournament.
“We have analysts working to determine who we could play if we get past the group stages,” Carver said. We cover all possibilities, and no effort hasn’t flipped it. This is important in a football tournament.
Scotland kick off against the Czech Republic tomorrow, their first match in a major final in 23 years.
Scotland are so confident of the chances at Euro 2020, they are already studying the last 16 opponents
Carver added, “I’m not afraid they’ll freeze. I know they’ll adapt. We don’t want to get into the championship and say, ‘We’re happy to be here.'”
I expect us to be out of the group. I think guys are confident enough to do that.
Carver also believes the 12-month postponement of the tournament has helped Scotland, with three never-before-seen youths in the final squad.
“You just have to look at the three guys that got in – Billy Gilmore, Nathan Patterson, David Turnbull,” he said.
They added quality and put pressure on the big players. So that time definitely helped us.
Assistant Director John Carver thinks youngsters like Billy Gilmore will give the Scots a big boost
