Sa'ad da 'yan wasan Scotland suka fita filin wasa a Saint-Etienne a ranar 23 ga Yuni 1998 bayan sun sha kashi 3-0 a hannun Morocco, ba wanda zai iya tunanin cewa fiye da kwana 10,200 za su wuce kafin su sake buga wasan Kofin Duniya. Jiran ya ƙare a ƙarshe Asabar da ta gabata a kan Haiti — yanzu kuma Morocco suna tsaye tsakanin Scotland da lokacin da zai iya sake rubuta tarihin ƙwallon ƙafar su gaba ɗaya.

Nasara ta Steve Clarke's da ta kai a ranar Juma'a za ta ga Scotland suna fita daga matakin rukuni a gasar manyan taro a karon farko a tarihinsu. Wasun yana farawa karfe 11 na daren, tare da shirye-shirye a duk tsawon rana a shafukan yanar gizo na Sky Sports da Sky Sports News.

Nauyin tunawa da Morocco

Kashi na 3-0 a France 98 ya ɗauki ransa na musamman tsawon shekaru da yawa. Shi ne wasan da magoya bayan Scotland ba su iya daina ambatawa — ba saboda sakamakon kadai ba, amma saboda ya zama alamar duk abin da ya biyo baya: gudun hijira mai tsawo, damar da ta ɓace, da raɗaɗin karo a kwalifikeshan. Jan katin Craig Burley, gashinsa mai launi fari, da ƙarin sautin ƙarshe sun hakke kansu a tunanin ƙasa ta yadda ba ya cancanta ga kashi ɗaya.

Scotland a ƙarshe sun dawo ga babbar gasar a Euro 2020, amma fari a Kofin Duniya ya ci gaba har zuwa nasarar wannan mako a kan Haiti a Boston. Yanzu, abin mamaki, Morocco suna gaban su kuma — wannan karon a matsayin ƙofar tarihi mai yuwuwa maimakon ƙofar da ta rufe shi.

Babban ƙalubalen Morocco

Wannan ba abokin hamayya na yau da kullum ba ne a matakin rukuni. Morocco sun kai matakin kusa da karshe na FIFA World Cup 2022 a Qatar, yanzu suna matsayi na bakwai a duniya, kuma suna ɗauke da tawaga cike da basira. Kyaftensu Achraf Hakimi ya lashe UEFA Champions League sau biyu a jere da PSG, kuma Clarke ya yi magana a sarari cewa Scotland na fuskantar gwajin gaske.

Juma'a za ta kasance wasan 80 na Clarke a matsayin shugaban tawagar ƙasa. Don samun sakamako, zai iya buƙatar wasan da ya yi daidai da nasarar Scotland da Spain a Hampden Park a lokacin kwalifikeshan na Euro 2024 — kashi guda ɗaya na Spain a duk cikin zagayen gasar, daga kwalifikeshan zuwa wasan karshe.

Me yasa Scotland za su iya gaskata

Masu yawa sun yi watsi da Scotland a Wembley a lokacin Euro 2020, amma suka daidaita da England 0-0 a wasa da suka iya cin nasara. Tawagar Clarke ta nuna iyawar ta ta tasowa a manyan lokuta, kuma daidaici a nan zai iya barin Scotland a matsayi mai ƙarfi na ci gaba. Kashi zai tilasta su tunanin yadda ake cancanta a matsayin ɗaya daga cikin ƙungiyoyin uku mafi kyau, ko da yake wasan da za su buga da Brazil a Miami zai ci gaba da bude ƙofar.

Tartan Army ta mamaye Boston. Ranar bayan nasara a kan Haiti, sun mai da Fenway Park wani abu mai kama da Hampden Park. Clarke ya ci gaba da yin nuni da muhimmancin goyon bayan magoya baya ga tawagar sa a wannan yaƙin neman zaɓe.

Girmama Donny Strathie

Shugaban koci kuma ya ɗauki lokaci don girmama Donny Strathie, ƙwazon magoya bayan Scotland wanda ya rasu a Boston yana bin ƙasarsa a Kofin Duniya. Magoya baya a cikin Boston Stadium za su yi minti ɗaya na tafi a minti na 76 don tunawa da shi — tunawa, a tsakiyar duk tattaunawar tarihi da fansa, da ainihin ma'anar ƙwallon ƙafa da rayuwa.