Scotland 1-1 Switzerland: Arsenal’s Tierney stretchered off as Scotland earn first EURO2024 point

Scotland showed signs of improvement from Friday’s drubbing in Munich when they headed west to face Switzerland on Wednesday, earning a 1-1 draw in Köln.

The Tartan Army roared into the lead after just 13 minutes when Scott McTominay’s strike rippled the back of the net courtesy of a heavy Fabian Schär deflection, but parity would be restored in North Rhine-Westphalia when Xherdan Shaqiri capitalised on a costly Anthony Ralston mistake.

But while Steve Clarke’s men got their first point on the board, the evening was marred by an injury to Arsenal’s Kieran Tierney that saw the left-back leave the field on a stretcher.

The Group A action will conclude on Sunday, when Switzerland face Germany in Frankfurt. Scotland will take on Hungary in Stuttgart simultaneously, with both matches getting underway at 20:00 BST [21:00 CEST].

As it happened

Scotland had one task heading into Wednesday’s meeting with the Swiss: to make amends for Friday’s emphatic loss against Germany. From the very outset in Köln, they did just that.

The 11 on-field representatives of the Tartan Army set out to grab an early opener, spurred on by a rousing rendition of Flower of Scotland that had been belted out by tens of thousands of fans just minutes prior.

A flurry of Scottish corners didn’t pay off, nor did an early attempt at a through ball that was expertly cut out by Ricardo Rodríguez. Instead, it was a Switzerland set-piece that provided Steve Clarke’s men with the impetus to drive forward, with Scott McTominay once again playing a pivotal role.

Nodding the ball out of the busy penalty area, the Manchester United midfielder ignited a rapid counterattack that allowed Andy Robertson to drive through the centre of the pitch – spraying out wide for Callum McGregor, who in turn returned the ball to McTominay on the edge of the box. His strike was heavily deflected by Fabian Schär, but he wouldn’t care. Scotland were ahead at a major tournament; life breeathed back into their dreams of a first-ever knockout appearance.

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But as quickly as they had raced into the lead, Scotland would find themselves pegged back by a lapse in defence. A woefully underpowered Anthony Ralston pass, intended for Angus Gunn, was latched onto by Xherdan Shaqiri; the Liverpool forward dispatching a first-time effort with aplomb to restore parity on the banks of the Rhine.

It would spark an impressive ten-minute window from Murat Yakin’s men, with Silvan Widmer seeing a speculative effort from the edge of the box fly just wide before Gunn was called upon to deny a fierce curling strike from Dan Ndoye shortly after the half-hour mark.

Ndoye’s name kept popping up throughout the remainder of a chilly evening in Köln. The forward thought he’d handed La Nati the lead less than ten minutes after Shaqiri had dragged Switzerland level, only to be ruled offside.

Perhaps more concerningly for the Tartan Army, it was after a tussle with Ndoye that Kieran Tierney left the pitch on a stretcher. The Swiss forward broke free of the Arsenal defender, who appeared to have jolted his knee as a result.

But it did not dampen the Scottish spirit, and Steve Clarke’s men became steadfast in their search for the winner. An effort denied by the post did not deter them, nor did countless McTominay efforts blocked from close range as the clock ticked into the final ten minutes.

There was momentary euphoria amongst the Swiss contingent when subsitute Breel Embolo raced through on goal and picked out the back of the net, with several hundred pints thrown aloft as Switzerland looked to have confirmed their progression to the round-of-16 – only to find that the forward had been ruled offside, and the goal subsequently disallowed.

Make no mistake, Scotland needed all three points in Köln to remain in control of their own destiny – but a point keeps the European dream alive, and they’ll head to Stuttgart on Sunday full of optimism that maybe, just maybe, this can be the year they finally escape the group.