Kieran Tierney was left ecstatic after the Arsenal man helped end 22 years of torment for Scotland.
The Arsenal left-back slotted into the left-hand side of Steve Clarke’s back three as Scotland sealed Euro 2020 progression, thanks to a 5-4 penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw with Serbia over 120 minutes.
Tierney has had to be patient for his national team chance, missing over a year’s worth of Scotland action through injury before self-isolation measures ruled him out of last month’s matches.
Now his and his teammates’ moment has come and the Arsenal star couldn’t be prouder of his teammates. He says it’s just reward after being battered from pillar to post over the years.
“It was unbelievable, big (David) Marshall, national hero,” said a jubilant Tierney (Clyde 1). “I’m lost for words. Everyone is buzzing.
“We’ve been through so much criticism as a team for years and years. To concede late on and still show character to go through and win on penalties again is amazing.
“The first half I though we were excellent. But it’s the Scottish way to put people through it, everybody must have been a bag of nerves. But we did deserve it and it shows how far we’ve come.”