Euros 2021: can Scotland beat England?

If you’d like some idea of how Scotland’s long-awaited return to an international football tournament is going, consider this: it took less than an hour of play before the image of goalkeeper David Marshall leaping, despairingly, into his own net in a doomed effort to stop the Czech Republic’s Patrik Schick scoring a goal from the halfway line became a meme trending worldwide.

Marshall can now be found soaring from the top rope of wrestling rings, swinging through the air like Spiderman, sprinting past Usain Bolt to win the 100 meters, and, of course, you can relive what is already the goal of the summer to the Titanic soundtrack. 

There’s little time to dwell on the highland horror-show, though, with the auld enemy England next, dauntingly, at Wembley. Many a dour Scot might look at England, who remain unbeaten for 12 consecutive games (excluding penalties), and decide this is another footballing year to write off.

But football has a funny way of working out, and a Scotland win might not be as far-fetched as you think.