The lion roars - too late

Scotland v Holland, 11-Jun-78


Scotland 3 Dalglish, Gemmill (2)
Holland 2 Rensenbrink, Rep

The lion roared again, here in Argentina tonight. After the agonies of the past week, Scotland at last found her true form and produced a brave heart-felt performance which made their exit from the 1978 World Cup, if anything, all the more excruciating.

This was the face of Scottish football that five million trusting souls had expected to see in Argentina but were so sorely let down by in Scotland's two opening matches.
As so often before in the history of the Scottish game, an international XI failed to do the easy parts, and then performed bravely and beautifully when it came to the hard bit.

Inspired by the magnificent Souness - things might have been so different if he had been involved from the very first - Scotland overwhelmed the favoured Dutch in midfield and stars such as Rensenbrink and the Van de Kerkhofs were never allowed to impress as they might have done.

Souness had magnificent support from Archie Gemmill who scored two goals - one from the penalty spot in the 47th minute, the other an extraordinary individual effort in 68 minutes which left the Mendoza crowd gasping and briefly revived Scottish hopes of reaching the last stage.

Those hopes, encouraged early on by Dalglish's equalising goal in the 44th minute to Rensenbrink's penalty ten minutes earlier, were however snuffed out in the 71st minute as easily as a candle when Johnny Rep smashed home a ferocious drive which gave Rough no chance.

Cast in the role of villain for so long, the Scots were heroes to a man at last. No-one played a more crucial part than the much-maligned captain, Bruce Rioch. His was truly a captain's performance. He led by example, running hard, shooting hard and working hard at pace. Dalglish at last found his true form; and benefiting from the service of Souness looked a quality player for the first time in the World Cup.

If Scotland had a weakness, it was at right full-back, where Kennedy again looked undistinguished at this level of football.

Holland might well have grabbed a late equaliser. But the Scots managed to hold on, for what it was worth; and if there was not a tangible end to their efforts there was at least the satisfaction of having proved some of their more malicious critics wrong again.

Forsyth very nearly scored a fourth goal for Scotland just before the final whistle; but by then it didn't matter. Ally MacLeod went and shook the hands of the Dutch manager, by way of congratulation. Scotland had won, but really they had lost long before they took the pitch on this beautiful stadium in Mendoza tonight.

At the end of the day, it was difficult to know just how much to take from this game; but the irrefutable fact remains, and cannot be forgotten, that Scotland now head home from Argentina.

Scotland's second victory in the history of the World Cup was more vainglorious than glorious.

Scotland began encouragingly. Asa Hartford managed to release Stuart Kennedy wide on the right in the first minute as Scotland made a determined start. The break came to little but the early signs were that Scotland could go at least some way to redeem her good name.

In the fourth minute, the Scots were doubly unlucky when first a Hartford drive went narrowly wide; then a beautiful Souness cross was met accurately by Rioch whose powerful header ricochetted off the crossbar.

Forsyth had the ball in the net in the seventh minute, but was clearly off-side.

Rijsbergen was giving Dalglish an awful time of it as the Dutch got physical in the opening stages.

In the tenth minute, Boskamp came on as a substitute for Neeskens, who was doubtful before the match with a suspected broken rib.

Scotland were playing Rioch up in support of Dalglish and Jordan, and overall the effect was surprisingly useful.

Dalglish, in 12 minutes, again had the ball in the net for Scotland with a lovely flick after a useful ball from Jordan; but the big striker had fouled his marker before Dalglish had made his run into the box.

With Dalglish in sprightly form up front, and Souness and Hartford ruling the midfield, Scotland were playing their best football of the tournament and in the opening phase the Dutch were made to look the team with problems.

Most encouraging of all there was a spirit about the Scottish performance and a willingness to commit themselves matched by subtlety of approach which deserved something in terms of goals.

The Dutch had little to offer; and in the first half the Scots found that their most difficult opponent was the Austrian referee who gave the Dutch the benefit of the doubt at every turn.

Scotland's build-up was sweet; but they lacked something in the way of pace, and were often a vital man short in the box.

Jansen sent a high ball in the direction of Rensenbrink in 27 minutes which ended with Rough being pushed against a post. However, he survived.

A bad mistake by Gemmill in midfield and an error of judgement by Buchan gave Holland their first real chance on the half-hour mark when Rough had to come out of his box and concede a free kick by smothering the ball. The Dutch, though, could make nothing of the dead-ball situation.

Scotland continued to have their fair share of the game; but there was an indication as half-time approached that the Dutch might contribute something dangerous in front of goal.

That in fact was the case just 11 minutes from the interval when tragedy struck Scotland once again. The young Aberdeen full-back Kennedy, made an awful unforced error on the edge of the box. Rep then raced in and was crowded out by Rough and the retreating Kennedy. A penalty said the referee; and Rensenbrink scored simply.

Scotland were decidedly unlucky to be a goal down and were rueing mistakes just a minute later when a cross from Donachie was met powerfully by Rioch but saved brilliantly by Jongbloed.

Souness was the best player on the field; and it was fitting that when Scotland finally got the break and carved out their first beautiful moment of the tournament it should come from him.

As half-time approached the midfield player swept an incisive cross into the box, which Jordan met strongly to leave Dalglish in space with room and time to put Scotland back on level terms. Suddenly, there was hope again; but Scotland's prospects of scoring three goals against the well-organised Dutch remained a dim possibility.

Scotland restarted in sensational fashion. In the forty-sixth minute Dalglish crossed a short ball to Kennedy who then found Dalglish again. The cross came to Souness, who had the feet taken from him unceremoniously by Van der Kerhoff. Archie Gemmill took the penalty and he did everything right.

Scotland were one up and the pulse was racing again.

Almost immediately Rough had to save dramatically from Rep. It was a telling reminder that Scotland could leave nothing to chance as they pushed forward in search of more illusive goals.

There was a tenacity about Scotland’s play which promised that there might just be more to come.

In 58 minutes they again broke devastatingly and, of course, it was Souness flying down the right who did the damage. Dalglish met his cross brilliantly and his header was only a fraction wide.

On the hour mark Dalglish was fouled on the edge of the box and from the free kick that man Souness flighted another delightful ball to Jordan whose downward header inched narrowly past the far post as Rioch looked on helplessly unable to make the extra yard which might have brought a goal.

It was a stirring game now and the Dutch were not without their positive moments as when Rough had to cover bravely to keep out Willie Van der Kerkhof.

The Scots were worth their lead and Kennedy was finding room on the right to make incisive forays into the Dutch defence, as in the 63rd minute when he forced a corner off Willie Van der Kerkhof. Dalglish again made the cross but Jordan handled and the Dutch were able to heave a sigh of relief.

Game though the Scots efforts were the thought arose that another forward might just have given then the advantage in the box that had been missing for most of the match.

Still in the general context of the 1978 World Cup this was an astonishingly good Scottish performance, full of heart, running and all the skills we had presumed would be in evidence before all the trouble started.

In 68 minutes, however, Scotland went 3-1 up when Archie Gemmill scored one of the great goals of this World Cup so far. The little midfield player homed in on goal, played a magnificent one-two with Dalglish, then sprinted into the box and thumped a glorious goal past Jongbloed to revive all the hopes which had died the death this past fortnight.

It was an extraordinary goal and an extraordinary moment. Suddenly Scotland were dreaming of glory again.

A minute later the Dutch, roused from their lethargy by Scotland’s persistence, attacked from the right and Kennedy’s clearance was only a foot wide of Rough’s near post.

There was a quick return to reality for Scotland in 72 minutes though when Johnny Rep guarded the ball in midfield and smashed a glorious right foot shot past Alan Rough from all of 25 yards. The goal was worthy of winning any World Cup.

• From The Scotsman of 12/06/78