Quick note before I start, I would like to apologise regarding the fixture lists in the last update as I made an utter pig's ear of who plays who and sorry if you had predictions down. This is the correct list as follows:
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Scotland vs Germany
Croatia vs Portugal
Netherlands vs England
Spain vs Portugal
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Sorry for this cockup from me, but with that out of the way, let's start now:
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Chapter 83
Getting Closer
June 19th, 2008, in Glasgow; Hampden Park was rocking. After Scotland won their group, the hosts and holders were in the last eight and their opponents would be a much-fancied German side and while the host nation may have been underdogs against the Germans, the partisan home crowd wasn't going to let their side fall to the Germans no matter what with the prize of winning this game being a Semi-Final at Murrayfield in Edinburgh. Even in their dressing room as the Scotland players were getting ready, they could hear the crowd having a big sing along with
Loch Lomond,
500 Miles and the official tournament song,
One Lion Rampant and everyone in that room didn't speak as they listened to the sound outside. Walter Smith had a little grin appear on his lips as they drank in the sound and by the time one song was finished and the crowd roared in delight that the teams were to come out soon, he looked over at his players to give one final speech.
"Hear that lads?" He said to his players. "They're singing for you. If we can't win with that crowd behind us, then we've got no chance. The Germans are going to be shaking when they walk out there. Surely they can't focus when playing against that."
The door to their dressing room opened and a pudgy looking SFA official revealed himself and motioned them to come out. As the Scotland players walked out onto the field with their German counterparts walking alongside them, there was about 7000 German fans in the ground with many hundred UEFA guests now associated with many international games while the vast majority of everyone else was a fired-up Tartan Army who would enjoy being the underdogs here. Smith was right; if the players didn't take this atmosphere for granted then they were in trouble. Scotland would fire from right out of the gates and the fans would cheer whenever a Scottish player got on the ball and jeer when a German player had the ball.
James Morrison would in the eighth minute make with the first shot on target in which he would make a volley from near the halfway line and that German goalkeeper Jens Lehmann would have to make a dive up into the top right corner of the net to punch the ball out for a corner kick for Scotland. An excellent start it looked like Germany were rather rattled by the atmosphere and all that was missing was a Scotland goal to set the place alight. Kris Commons would take the corner out from the left corner flag, and he swung it near into the box in which among the many players trying to get it, Gary Caldwell would leap the highest and banged in the ball with his head sending it into the bottom right corner and the roar from the Hampden crowd really said it all. Scotland had taken an early lead!
Caldwell celebrates getting the opening goal over Germany in the Quarter-final
No German wanted to go behind so soon and losing a goal to a bad bit of defending, and up in the stands watching was the Germany manager Joachim Low who had been suspended in the last game Germany had played with Wales in which he had been sent to the stands and taking his place to guide the team would be his assistant Hans-Dieter Flick who had the difficult task of not only trying to get back in this game but put a stop to this cauldron of an atmosphere that was making it hellish for the German players. Not that any German woes would be of any Scot's concern, but such things would look nervy when in the seventeenth minute, Alan Hutton had to pull off a tackle on Klose that was on the edge of the penalty box and while he managed to successfully stop him, all eyes turned towards the referee thinking he was about to point for a penalty and the German fans roared for action.
To the relief of the Tartan Army, the Swedish referee waved play on as Scotland tried to push the Germans back though that all being said, the previously confident Scottish crowd were while still making a right din were now looking slightly uncomfortable the more the Germans slowly built their way into the game. No Scot would want to admit it, but Germany did look like a angry animal that was wanting to punish the plucky Scots. Smack bang on the twenty-fourth minute, German captain Ballack would blast the ball over at the goal and it would avoid the grasp of Craig Gordon but instead would crash on the crossbar to bounce up and land behind the goal. It was a wonderful chance to equalise for Germany and all signs looked to be good for them as ever since Scotland's opening goal; the hosts hadn't really troubled the Germans that much and that the best chances were all coming from the Germans. It really was a question of 'if' but
when Germany would score and many nervous looks around Hampden Park and for most Scots watching the game live wherever they were fearing the worst might happen.
Scotland though would try and counter the problem in the thirty-second minute when McFadden managed to weave his way past Lahm and Metzelder and tried to score from the corner and though it might've looked like a good shot, the ball would be easily saved by Lehmann and Scotland really needed to find a goal from somewhere soon and hopefully not being scored from the other end. McLeish looked over at the big scoreboard saying that it was reading that it was now the thirty-eighth minute of the game and if they were to keep it a 1-0 going in a halftime then he would rally the players round for a final push for the second half, though with how well the Germans were pushing them back, that didn't look like it was going to happen...
Ballack after his shot hits the crossbar
Then in the forty-second minute, the Germans win a corner in which is taken and Craig Gordon punches away outside of his box and Darren Barr helps in trying to clear it for a throw-in, but the ball lands by the feet of Klose who would try his luck and score and he would strike with a powerful shot that went through all of the Scottish defence in the box and the ball would slam into the roof of the net to reduce the crowd to stunned silence and raise the joy for the Germans there. It was a sucker punch for the Tartan Army for this to happen but perhaps given the way the Germans had played; it was inevitable that the Germans would score their long-awaited equaliser. Not only was it game on but the German machine now looked set to add more to their tally.
Walter Smith had his head in his hand; this was the last thing he would've wanted before halftime, and anyone would tell that that to lose a goal before the break when you were leading through most of the game is a pain as he knew that that any gameplan he had to tell his players in the changing room had to be thrown out the window over what had happened. Scotland now began to play more defensive as the Germans try to pile more pressure on the Scottish backline and fears of the Germans to add a torrid of goals into the Scottish net in the closing stages of the game seemed to be the only outcome and when three minutes of added time are shown left to play, it seems more than enough for Germany to turn the game around in a short space before time.
Despite all this, Scotland would hold their nerve and managed to keep the score level at halftime and Hampden's atmosphere starts to feel very tense as the Tartan Army know how lucky they were to sneak out of that one but with the momentum now clearly with the Germans, no one feels that Scotland even with the home advantage can somehow win this game, let alone try to go all the way. Walter Smith stands there by the steps of Hampden as he watches the players trot off down the tunnel looking either tried or weary after the game they have just played and there was still another forty-five minutes or more yet to follow. Now, Smith has to try and find out what to do to help make his players believe they can do this. They surely can't lose at the stage of their own tournament on home soil...?
Klose celebrates his goal that brings Germany level
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Much like how the Scots roared into the start of the first half, the Germans are the ones on the front foot during the opening of the second half in which they start to play a strong teamwork plan as they pass the ball around and that the poor Scottish players can't seem to get a foot on the ball and the Germans seem to have this game in the bag. Murrayfield is like a morgue and most of the noise is coming from the now inspired German supporters who feel that a goal is coming. Klose tries to score a second for Germany in the forty-ninth minute when he chips the ball over Kris Broadfoot and the ball curls downwards towards goal though Craig Gordon has to leap up to grab the ball and quickly kick it up the field hoping for one of his teammates can do something.
That all said, frustrations start to show for Scotland in which Barry Ferguson gets a booking in the fifty-sixth minute in which he made a rather rash tackle on Schweinsteiger and not gives him a yellow card but also a free kick for the Germans there and then. Ballack takes the kick and Gordon has to once again punch away the ball but accidently this time into the path of Podolski who attempts to fire a volley on the rebound but unfortunately for him, he skies the ball far over the crossbar. Scotland have been let off the hook here, but the game has all been Germany so far and the Tartan Army can only fear for the worse. Surely there's no way back now?
In the sixty-fourth minute, the Germans hold most of the possession and that alone doesn't make for good reading for the hosts and holder of the trophy. Walter Smith then yells out at his players to take a risk and do whatever they can to score, possibly not the best idea but with Scotland looking pretty much stuck without ideas, it might be their only chance at glory. In that minute from some fifty yards away from the box, McFadden has the ball and he looks ahead to see a large gap between two German players with the chance to try his luck and with one fine volley of a shot, the ball goes screaming through the air and curls towards the top right of the crossbar and despite the German keeper getting a hand on it, it's not enough as the ball scrapes off his glove and the ball goes in. Cue bedlam.
McFadden before scoring his screamer of a goal
McFadden has scored a goal that has come out of nowhere for Scotland and the famous Hampden roar is at full power as the Tartan Army are delighted that they have managed to pull off something from out of the blue that puts them 2-1 in front. The Germans are left thunderstruck that after everything going their way that this has happened, and they have to get themselves back into the game and the only being heard if the cry of thousands of Scotland fans roaring their team on for victory. Suddenly after everything that has happened in this game so far with the Germans pressing Scotland so much, they now have something to hold on to and maybe could progress to the Semi-finals. To the amazement of everyone else, the Germans don't seem to respond well to going behind again and while they are still holding good chunks of the ball during play, they aren't really causing many problems for Scotland who look more than happy to simply defend until the final whistle.
There is one moment of madness in the seventy-third minute when Steven Fletcher races forward towards the box and many in Hampden rise to their feet thinking another unlikely goal is coming, however he is stopped by Ballack who snatchers the ball of Fletcher and quickly punts it up the field for a teammate to get it. What a chance though for Scotland to get a shock third. The last fifteen minutes of the game turn into a masterclass performance for Scotland defence wise as Scotland now opt for a 5-4-1 formation to make sure all their players start defending for their lives and for everyone concerned, it is the longest fifteen minutes anyone would like to experience, though if your German then it is a short fifteen minutes that's for sure. Even the atmosphere in Hampden is tense with a range of emotions being shown in that tartan clad crowd with some biting their fingernails, some hold onto their drinks or the edge of their seats tightly and some just can't bear to watch.
The crowd tries to sing a rousing performance of 'Flower of Scotland' to give their team a little bit more energy as they can all see that the team are defending for their lives and look shattered. Ninety minutes are nearly up, and a groan follows by many that another five minutes of time are to be added and fear then sets in the fourth minute of added time when just outside the box, Germany wins a freekick and Klose goes up to take it with this being the absolute last chance for Germany to drag this game into extra time. The stadium is on the verge of boiling over as Klose gets of a shower of abuse from the terraces as he waits for the referee to blow his whistle to kick. Then when it goes off, he runs up and curls the ball over a Scottish wall and Craig Gordon as he attempts to go backwards suddenly stumbles onto his back and like the vacuum, the noise disappears as the ball comes down. Then the ball hits the crossbar and lands on the roof of the net and that is all that is all that is needed is that is the last kick of the game. Scotland are through!
Scotland celebrate after beating Germany at Euro 2008
Wild celebrations follow as Scotland fans enjoy the moment that that are in the semi-finals and the Germans look utterly despair ridden to lose like this. Many Scots will have wonderful memories that night (those that didn't get utterly drunk that is unlike others) of where they were when they defeated Germany and now the idea of defending their honour on home soil looks to be a more promising one. as just a day later, they find out that they will face a rematch semi-final with fellow group opponents Portugal after they defeated Croatia 3-1 on penalties after the game ended 1-1. One thing that many of the Tartan Army wouldn't want to admit that Scotland in the end were one thing that night...lucky.
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Two days after Scotland secured a place in the last four, it was time for England's turn, and they would head to Cardiff to face the Dutch for a place in the Semi-Finals. For the citizens of the Welsh capital, the arrival of thousands of England fans making their way to the Cardiff City Stadium for their tie with the Netherlands saw the city holding their breath for fears of hooligans out to cause trouble. Though the Dutch had brought along a large number of their own supporters to Cardiff as well as being backed by the locals, they were overwhelmed by the vast numbers of English supporters in the city who unfortunately weren't letting the locals forget about how Wales had fallen in the group stage and how they ahd such a strong home advtange and yet they flopped. There would be problems before the match in which even though the England ticket allocation had been sold out some time ago, many had made the journey north hoping to get in but ultimately never getting the chance to get in and combined this with the drink some of them had that day, it led to brawls taking place which the police had their hands full in keeping order. Not the best start that England would've wanted.
As the teams lined up for the anthems with England manager Glenn Hoddle shaking hands with his Dutch counterpart, Marco Van Basten, he took the chance to admire the stadium and had heard of the history of the England team coming to Wales and more often than not having a good track record of victories in the Principality though the main difference being that they weren't playing a team in red, but
orange and that the Netherlands were a different kettle of fish compared to the Welsh so he knew that it wasn't going to be easy. Then came the anthems and while the England national side had since now used
Jerusalem as their anthem due to
God Save the Queen being jeered and whistled whenever England played either Wales or Scotland and hoped it would put an end to such scenes...it was sadly being jeered by the number of so-called 'neutral' Welsh supporters in the stand who were all clearly hoping for England to lose and it was not the sort of thing Hoddle wanted to see.
It had sadly been something that had always happened when England had been playing in Scotland as it was clear that the locals wanted England to go all the way and here would be no exception. Ironically such things had actually spurred on the England team to go for it and this Dutch team, while a decent side, could be there for the taken despite manging to be winners in a group of death featuring France, Romania and Italy. However the start of the game looked quite a ropey one for England as the Dutch seemed determined to win and didn't give the English team much of a chance to get a foot on the ball and this would go on right until the twelve minute of the game in which the Dutch won a corner that by then had seen the Dutch have already two shots on target while in contrast England hadn't even had a single shot on target. Kuyt fired from the corner, and it looked then that Wes Brown managed to clear it off his knee but instead the ball would carelessly bounce up into the air and into the path of Van Nistelrooy and wasted no time to take a volley shot that saw the ball race through the air, past the gloves of David James and into the back of the net. The best possible start for the Dutch and the worst for the English.
The Dutch celebrate their opening goal
Hoddle leaned had his head in his hand as he saw that goal screaming in and the wall of stunned silence from the England fans really said it all. The Three Lions had to find a way back in this game but it didn't look all that good for them as the Dutch had their tails up and were looking to score a second and nearly did in the 18th minute when Kuyt went on the volley and the ball looked set to be hitting the roof of the net but only slammed on the crossbar to give England a big let off and as Hoddle looked up at the stands filled with England fans were now shouting abuse at him and the players; a world away from the goodwill he had gotten for seeing the Three Lions winning the World Cup a few years ago. Strange how things can change in a few short years though deep down, many had to admit that the 'golden generation' England once had was no longer the team they once were. The first signs that England might not be quite out of this game yet would come about in the twenty-third minute when Rooney managed to weave his way through that Dutch backline and looked as though he was going to pull off a Maradona as he ran like a madman towards the goal.
Instead, however Van der Sar would have to dive towards his left to knock the ball out to safety to deny England the equaliser. Still a long way to go but nonetheless it was a better performance than that sluggish start earlier. A booking would happen in the twenty-eighth minute when John Terry tackled de Jong and saw him getting a yellow card for his troubles and the Dutch a free kick, thankfully the kick in question would fly way over the bar. By the thirty-fifth minute, the game was starting to open up and while the Dutch still looked very dangerous looking to score a second, England were now asking questions with Rooney and Theo Walcott both attacking the goal hoping to get their team back into the game with Walcott's shot hitting the post in the thirty-third minute.
By the thirty-eighth minute, the England fans were starting to find their voice again and the Dutch were looking rather wary that England could score before half time despite the Netherlands doing all they could to get a second goal. Then just five minutes later and with the Dutch backline having put up a good performance in keeping England out, the English would win a corner kick and Ashley Young fired it from the left corner and the ball went curling through the air in which many in the box tried to jump and get their head onto it which in the end only Wayne Rooney could get his head onto it. As one would expect from the star English player, he sent that ball into the bottom right of the net in which der Sar despite bending into the direction of the shot could do nothing to stop the ball going in and the heart-breaking situation for the Dutch followed in which it had only kicked in that the English had got back on level terms.
Wayne Rooney scores to put England back on level with the Dutch
An explosion of white and red (and perhaps the beer shower from many fan zones around the country) from the English fans followed as St George Cross flags could be seen flying around the ground and that wasn't including the roar of delighted England fans happy to seem back in the game and no happier than any Englishman in that ground was Hoddle who punched the air in triumph that things were looking up for England once again. As the final minutes of the first half rolled along, Hoddle was left wondering that due to how flustered the Netherlands seemed to look that he did consider the prospect that rather than hold onto that score line going into half time that maybe the English could add more woe for the Dutch by getting another goal.
However, that thought was shot down pretty fast when just in the first minute of three minutes of added time that Van Nistelrooy fired a shot on to the England goal that hit the crossbar and a sigh of relief followed that the Dutch nearly ruined England's joy there. Finally, the whistle blew for halftime and an uncertain atmosphere around the ground could be felt as both players headed to the tunnel with neither knowing who was feeling happier about how the game had gone. The Dutch had played the best for the most part, yet they had ruined a few good chances to increase their lead and that England goal was a sucker punch. In turn, the English knew that they hadn't been all that good during the early parts of the game and that goal was very much welcomed regardless of if they had deserved it or not; the Welsh supporters there thought of the later. Regardless everyone waited for what the second half might entail...
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No one knew how the second half should progress or who the winner was going to be, but the feeling that supporters and pundits alike all believed that whoever scored next would win the game and given how tight the start of the second half began it was looking to be one of those games in that it would be a low scoring match. Then again it only added to a growing tension in the ground. Other than the odd throw in or offside moment, it was proving to be a fairly uneventful half up until the sixty-second minute in which the Dutch suddenly found themselves running on the counter and charging towards the England goal with Van Nistelrooy leading the way. As he neared the England penalty box, he side-footed the ball over to Kuyt who found himself unmarked and the temptation to score was there for him was there, but instead he lobbed the ball over at Nistelrooy who proceeded to slam the ball into the roof of the net and was again the tables had been turned in which the English now had their hearts broken and the Dutch were delighted.
Dutch players celebrate taking the lead again on England
Hoddle shook his head in disbelieve, their poor defence was costing them and now they looked set to make an exit from the tournament much to the delight of the Cardiff locals and the Dutch fans there, the latter hoping to make amends from their humiliating loss to England at Euro '96 which saw their own early exit. England tried desperately to get back into the game as they did anything they could to get another goal but this time however the Netherlands weren't going to let the Three Lions try and get through and seemed happier to hold back and keep the score at 2-1. Wayne Rooney though wasn't going to give up no matter what and in the seventy-third minute, he pulled off England's best chance in that second half when the ball hit the post and a groan followed from the English supporters fearing that it was all going to end in tears for England in Cardiff.
Despite the Dutch putting on a strong performance in their defence, it could only last for so long that with only ten minutes to go until full time, England began to push the Dutch back and suddenly the tables were being turned again in this crazy game that could go either way and England now looked the more likely to score. It's unknown just where on earth the English players found the determination to fight back but the England fans didn't care. It could be said that the Dutch and themselves to blame themselves for it for they seemed to have all their players trying to play in an ultra-defence fashion that seemed to invite the England players to try and have a shot on target and maybe get a goal that would drag the game into extra time, a scenario that no Dutch player wanted.
Then in the eighty-seventh minute with England having gotten a free kick some twenty yards away from the box, the ball would fly through the air and in the middle of a confusion and congested scene, de Jong would shove over Walcott in the box and many in orange had their eyes wide in horror as the referee blew his whistle and pointed to the spot - penalty for England! It was quite a soft challenge that looked accidental as the Dutch players tried to reason with the Slovakian referee but seemed unmoved by their protest and to add more to the Dutch's woe, de Jong would get a yellow card for that incident. England's penalty scorer Steven Gerrard would step up to take it and the Liverpool player knew that this was perhaps the only chance England were going to half if they wanted to stay in the tournament. The referee blew his whistle and Gerrard sent the keeper the wrong way...
Gerrard before taking the penalty
...But his shot hit the post and bounced out of play! The roar that greeted it from both the Dutch and Welsh alike was almost as big as if one for scoring a goal and Gerrard seemed frozen to the spot and looked like a man who wanted the ground to swallow him whole. The gut punch of the moment was so great for the English players that they had almost forgot the Dutch trying to keep the game flowing and run up the other end to try and put in a quickfire third goal for the Dutch that would kill this game off though thanks to some desperate defending from some of the England players, that third killer goal for the Dutch would never take place though neither did the equaliser for England and with that, the Dutch held on to secure victory to move onto the last four and dump England out of the tournament.
It had been the first time that the Three Lions had lost on Welsh soil since 1984 while up in Wrexham and far longer since they last lost in Cardiff and even though it not been to a Welsh team they had lost to, the Welsh locals weren't going to let that play on their mind as they would end up taking great delight at England's failure and perhaps more so up in Scotland knowing that at the very least they wouldn't have to face the nightmarish and ultimate humiliation scenario for Scottish football of an England team playing in a final at Hampden Park and winning it with Scotland perhaps not there. However, that scenario would have played out didn't matter as England were out and in the wake of that defeat, much anger of the English press would be aimed at Gerrard who would get the most stick over his missed penalty.
Sadly, for him much anti-Scouse bias would emerge from some quarters from fans and even members of the press alike over the following weeks even if few wanted to admit that the Dutch was a better team. Such was how bad it was that Gerrard would admit in a 2019 interview that he almost quit playing for the national team, and it would be another example of why some on Merseyside would state 'Scouse not English'. For Glenn Hoddle however, it was the end of the road for him as his long spell as England manager had come to an end and from the high of winning the World Cup to making his final act as England manager at Euro 2008 but who would be able to fill his boots? For now though up in Scotland, the party would go on...
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And that's that! So yeah, once again, sorry for the cockup with the fixture list but now that has been sorted out. So, the Scotland game remains mostly the same as in the old TL though with England the result is a defeat for them as looking back on it, I think I should have toned them down a bit and considering this is when that England team started to go on the decline it is quite plausible, they would have come up short here even though TTL England is better than OTL for sure. And if you're Dutch then yes, the team get a bit more luck here compared to what happened with them IOTL.
So then, here is the correct (haha!) fixture list for the last four:
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Scotland vs Portugal
Netherlands vs Spain
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So who will win and why? Hope you enjoy this update, and will Scotland be heading to Hampden for a grand final? Find out next time!