Brazen Scotland arrive with bad intentions and can now brag about being the life of the party – Keith Jackson in Cologne

IF you’re going to brag about being the life and soul of the party, then first you really have to turn up for it.

Sure, Scotland may have been fashionably late to this tournament. Even so, the entrance they made here in Cologne last night was as bold, as brazen and as breathtaking as Steve Clarke could have wished for following that embarrassing face-plant of a false start in Munich last Friday night.

And even though ultimately it was only enough to snatch a point from the Swiss, it means they’ll still be right there, on the dance floor, when Group A reaches its climax on Sunday in Stuttgart. Scotland have arrived at Euro 2024 at last and if this is the way they mean to carry on, this summer could be heading into the wee small hours after all.

Scott McTominay got it all started with an opening goal just 13 minutes in, with it then followed by a gargantuan and heroic effort until the very last kick. At times, after Xherdan Shaqiri’s opportunistic equaliser, the tension was almost unbearable and Scotland also suffered the agony of losing Kieran Tierney to a potentially tournament-ending injury.

But still they soldiered on, carrying the fight, just as they did throughout the qualifiers to get here. Truly, this felt like quite a night. The miserable weather had cleared up around lunchtime as fans from both countries mingled and drank together along the banks of the Rhine. A culture clash? Perhaps. The Swiss might have been outnumbered and more than a little mystified but their bewilderment was the extent of the damage.

Once again, this hairy, kilted Scottish invasion force had come entirely in peace. As they always do. The same, however, could not be said of Clarke who arrived at the Cologne Stadium – some six kilometres out of town – full of bad intentions and in the knowledge that, this time around, there would have to be some serious shots fired.

No glitz or gimmicks, no opening night circus. This time it simply had to be all business. By returning Billy Gilmour to the base of his midfield, Clarke made clear his desire for his side to win the battle, first and foremost, in the centre of the pitch. Ryan Christie’s running power was merely a necessary sacrifice.

Grant Hanley was also brought in for his first start of the tournament, with Ryan Porteous stuck looking on from UEFA’s naughty step. But Clarke didn’t quite feel emboldened enough to go the full nine yards and let James Forrest off the leash in the right wing-back role.

Rather than take that risk, Anthony Ralston remained in that position – even though the Celtic man would have left Munich the other night suffering from an inferiority complex the size of Bavaria after what had just been done to him by the hosts. But all of those legacy issues were drowned out and washed away moments before kick-off with a rendition of the national anthem that must have surged up through the souls of their boots.

It was delivered with such passion and at such blistering volume that it seemed to shake the foundations of the entire stadium. It may even have rocked a Swiss team who looked every bit as perplexed by it all as their own fans. Scotland won two corners in the opening three minutes as they opened up at a tempo they did not come close to setting in the opener.

This was the Scotland these Euros had been expecting – a team bristling with aggression and belief but one also capable of imposing a calm sense of authority in the middle of the pitch. It was worth the wait. And, 13 minutes in, they truly announced themselves when McTominay lashed home the opening goal at the end of a sweeping counter-attack which screamed all of these qualities from the moment Andy Robertson won a header he was probably not entitled to and sparked a surge of dark blue.

Gilmour did what Gilmour does, collecting the ball with an opponent all over his back and popping it straight back into Robertson’s path with an exquisite, cushioned touch. The skipper then planted his foot on the accelerator as he raced towards the box before slipping a pass towards Callum McGregor, who had broken his neck to keep up.

McGregor steadied himself before picking out McTominay who was nearing the edge of the area. And with one thud of his left boot the Manchester United midfield man found the roof of the net, albeit via a deflection off the despairing Fabian Schar.

Switzerland were stung for a while by the speed and ferocity of this sucker punch and there were passages when it seemed they were struggling to keep up with the pace of accuracy of Scotland’s passing. But one misplaced ball from Ralston would let them back in with 25 minutes gone.

The full-back appeared to freeze after it was fizzed into his feet by Gilmour and, without looking to check for danger, he got rid of it as quickly as he could. Perhaps it summed up his luck that this blind pass was perfectly measured for Shaqiri, of all people, to run on to.

The 32-year-old’s finish was first time and sublime, arrowing the ball high past Angus Gunn with the instep of his left boot.

Gunn did also make a couple of decent saves before the break as this contest ebbed and flowed. But as the interval drew close, it was Scotland who were building most momentum again.

And then, less than 15 minutes into the second half, Scotland’s rotten luck leapt up out of nowhere to smack them right between the eyes. Again, a member of the team was left to look at himself.

Jack Hendry hurled a hopeful ball upfield in the general direction of Che Adams but not nearly near enough during a spell when accuracy and composure was key. The Swiss countered quickly and the dangerous Dan Ndoye looked a certain scorer as he held off Tierney’s desperate attempt to get back in.

Tierney did just enough to force the striker into rushing a shot wide of the target from 18 yards but felt his hamstring twang at precisely the same moment. He left on a stretcher, replaced by Scott McKenna, and is unlikely to be seen here again.

Despite this body blow, Scotland regrouped and, agonisingly, Hanley’s header smashed the base of Yann Sommer’s right-hand post as they pushed for a winner. There were scares at the other end too, let’s not pretend otherwise.

But the biggest chance of the lot came when McTominay had two efforts charged down in quick succession, sparking scenes of Swiss panic inside their own box. In the end, it wasn’t quite enough for three points. But Scotland’s party has started here nonetheless.