In a night of high drama at Hampden Park, Scotland's hopes were lifted and then brutally dashed as Scott McTominay's spectacular late equaliser was rendered meaningless by Alvaro Morata's heart-stopping 94th-minute winner for Spain.
McTominay's Moment of Magic
The Manchester United midfielder, continuing his remarkable scoring form for his country, produced another moment of pure quality that appeared to have salvaged a precious point for Steve Clarke's side. Coming off the bench with Scotland trailing, McTominay unleashed a stunning strike that sent the home crowd into raptures.
"When that ball hit the net, you could feel the entire stadium believe we'd secured something from a game where we'd been second best for long periods," one observer noted from the stands.
Spanish Resilience Proves Decisive
Despite being far from their fluent best, Luis de la Fuente's Spanish side demonstrated the kind of resilience that makes them tournament favourites. Having taken an early lead through a well-worked team move, they weathered Scotland's second-half pressure before delivering the ultimate sucker punch.
The winning goal came from a familiar source - Alvaro Morata, the experienced Atletico Madrid striker, showing impeccable timing to connect with a cross that had somehow evaded the Scottish defence in the dying seconds.
Qualification Implications
This dramatic result leaves Scotland's Euro 2024 qualification hopes in a delicate position, while Spain continue their perfect start to the campaign. The nature of the defeat - conceding so late after such an emphatic equaliser - makes this particularly difficult for Clarke and his players to digest.
For McTominay, it was a case of personal triumph turning to collective despair in the space of a few minutes. His goalscoring form for Scotland continues to impress, but this will be remembered as the night his heroics weren't quite enough.
