Tomorrow night Scotland locomote to the Faroe Islands for what should seemingly live a routine World Cup qualifying victory, merely only over nineteen years ago things weren't and so simple. In September 2002 Scotland went to the Faroes to face the side considered 1 of Europe'sec minnows and left rattling much amongst egg on their faces. Here is the level.
‘Faroe misery for Scots’ was the headline on the BBC website when Scotland drew one-1 away against 1 of the minnows of European football game inward 1999. But that was aught compared to the uproar afterwards the duad met again iii years afterwards when Scotland headed dorsum to the Faroe Islands for what was an even more than lacklustre functioning. Once once again it would live a instance of ii points dropped for the visitors just if it were non for a moment-one-half fightback it would accept been and then much worse.
Whilst Scotland participated inwards the really first international football game tally against England well-nigh 150 years agone, the Faroe Islands are relative newcomers to the international scene. Having non joined FIFA until 1988, when they faced Scotland at domicile inward a Euro 2004 qualifier on 7 September 2002 it was but 10 years since they’d played their first e'er competitive jibe.
The Faroes had stunned the footballing world when they defeated Austria ane-0 inward that starting time ever game inwards 1992. But for those living on this small-scale rocky outcrop of Islands almost 450 miles N of the Scottish upper-case letter of Edinburgh, it would be 21 defeats too i describe earlier they adjacent won a meaningful contest. Even so it was only against the tiny enclave of San Marino, at the fourth dimension ranked moment worst inwards all of Europe but to a higher place Liechtenstein. The Faroes would win but five more than times inwards their beginning ten years of competitive activeness, over again against San Marino and twice against both of Luxembourg and Republic of Malta, two as well very lowly ranked sides. This was a squad of part-timers who lost to everyone bar the few well-nigh woeful of sides and they went into the Scotland game ranked as depression every bit 123rd inwards the earth.
Scotland had narrowly missed out on a play-off place inwards World Cup 2002 qualifying too, under the guise of High German manager Berti Vogts installed at the starting time of the year, the Faroe Islands agree was the start game of what they hoped would live a promising Euro 2004 qualifying cause. All expectations of a solid starting time inward that opening grouping fit were soon quashed, all the same, when in front of nigh four,000 hardy spectators, Scotland plant themselves ii downwards afterwards simply 12 minutes thank you to a brace from the Faroes' Jon Petersen. The abode fans were left in dreamland as they wildly waved their flags for each destination.
Albeit all friendlies, Vogts had lost iv of his start 5 games in charge together with such a disastrous first against the Faroes did nothing to repose the pressure level already slow starting to mount on him. Vogts hadn't done himself any favours inward the construct upward to the game by criticising the option of venue from the hosts in what some might have considered getting his excuses inwards early on. But sure enough even he can't take expected such a horrendous get-go from his side.
Now reachable via a 7 mile car tunnel, at the time getting to the host venue of Toftir would have involved a ferry ride from the Faroe Islands' main urban center of Torshavn to what close to might accept considered barely more than than a hamlet. Whilst consolidating his thoughts on that journeying, notwithstanding, one tin't imagine Scotland'second main man inwards the dugout idea anything less than a win was possible.
two-0 would end upwardly existence the half-fourth dimension scoreline in what was turning out to be ane of Scotland'second nearly embarrassing shows. The BBC website stated inwards their agree study that the Faroes had 'looked superior for long periods' in that opening 45 minutes as well as they weren't wrong. The Independent fifty-fifty went every bit far equally to order it was 'the nearly ignominious first half in Scotland's history.'
No affair what happened inward the instant-one-half goose egg would live able to hide what had happened in the outset just in the terminate, Scotland were at to the lowest degree able to salvage face a lilliputian. First, a Paul Lambert smash on 62 minutes gave the visitors hope as well as so with 7 to play Barry Ferguson saved Scotland'second blushes by grabbing an equaliser. The captains of Scotland'sec two Old Firm giants Celtic in addition to Rangers had both united for the cause alongside the goals that turned a catastrophe into a slightly less disastrous bad 24-hour interval at the role.
It was notwithstanding a terrible event, bad enough for Rob McLean on commentary duty for BBC Scotland telly to describe it equally 'Inept, woeful, sad', only it had come up rattling more or less being fifty-fifty worse. Nonetheless, it was withal, according to The Scotsman at to the lowest degree, 'Scotland’second worst event since 1872.'
Bert Vogts meanwhile was seemingly perplexed equally to how his side had been and then abjectly miserable. "I tin't empathise what happened," he exclaimed before agreeing that the performance was "Not skilful plenty for international football game."
In a postal service check poll, conducted by the BBC, 64% of fans said Vogts should lose his job and although he ended upward hanging about for another two years before his eventual resignation in 2004 they were non very happy ones. By the finish of his tenure Scotland had failed to qualify for the European Championships, only picked upwards 2 points from their opening three qualifying matches for the 2006 World Cup, all against lesser opposition, and dropped to a record low of 77 inwards the FIFA Earth rankings. His terminal match in charge was a 1-one draw in qualifying against Moldova who would cease upward finishing bottom of the World Cup qualifying group alongside seven defeats from their 10 games.
Scotland defeated the Faroes 3-i inwards the render match too a farther 3 matches against the same opposition inward the years since take seen Scotland score a total of eleven goals without reply. Neither side will forget that September 2002 clash, nonetheless, as well as especially not Scotland. For the Scots, the check would come to epitomise likely more than than any other what ended up existence easily the most impoverished menstruum inwards their footballing history. Part of an well-nigh 22 yr menstruum where, after the 1998 World Cup, they missed out on qualification for no fewer than x major tournaments, that afternoon inward Toftir was arguably the lowest second of it all.