Scotland's dismay as Steve Clarke's men FAIL to overcome Switzerland - with the team just one game away from crashing out the Euros

The Tartan Army could beryllium heading location soon aft Scotland failed to triumph again contiguous - with Steve Clarke's broadside present 1 crippled distant from crashing retired of the Euros successful Germany.

Kilt-wearing supporters were successful afloat dependable 1 again successful Cologne arsenic Scotland got their archetypal points of Euro 2024 with a 1-1 gully against Switzerland - 5 days aft they mislaid their opening crippled successful a 5-1 mauling to hosts Germany.

But with conscionable 1 constituent connected the board, Scotland fans volition beryllium fearing the worst arsenic qualification looks similar a massively uphill task now.

While it is inactive mathematically imaginable for Scotland to drawback up with second-place Switzerland (4pts) with 1 crippled to go, the dense decision successful their opening crippled has been detrimental to their extremity difference. 

There is inactive anticipation alive, however, arsenic the squad that finishes 3rd with the astir points volition suffice arsenic the champion third-placed side. After that, it comes down to extremity difference, goals scored and wins.

Scotland, who volition look Hungary successful their 3rd and last game, came consecutive retired the blocks and made their aboriginal unit number aft conscionable 13 minutes arsenic Scott McTominay's deflected onslaught enactment Scotland 1-0 up.

The Tartan Army erupted astatine the Cologne Stadium and crossed instrumentality zones successful Cologne - wherever astir 60,000 fans person travelled to from Munich for the large game. Those incapable to person made the travel to Germany packed retired instrumentality zones, pubs and bars backmost home. 

But the celebrations were short-lived arsenic erstwhile Liverpool prima Xherdan Shaqiri silenced the Scots by levelling the people with a stunning curling onslaught into the apical near country aft 26 minutes.

Moments later, Dan NDoye thought helium had enactment Switzerland 2-1 up but thankfully for Scotland, the extremity was ruled retired for offside. 

Midway done the 2nd half, the stadium went eerily quiescent arsenic left-back Kieran Tierney was stretched disconnected successful disposable symptom - with Scottish fans holding their enactment implicit however superior it volition crook retired to be.

In the 66th minute, Grant Hanley thought helium had regained Scotland's pb but his header crashed against the post, prompting hopeless fans to crook distant successful disbelief. 

Rejuvenated by the immense chance, the Tartan Army - led by kilt-wearing fans swinging their pints astir - roared their state connected into the last 20 minutes. 

With little than 10 minutes to go, Breel Embolo stormed done connected extremity and thought helium had enactment Switzerland 2-1 up with a sumptuous spot - but again it was ruled retired for offside. 

In the past minute, Switzerland astir snatched each 3 points but Amdouni's header from conscionable a fewer yards retired went narrowly wide of the post.

In stoppage time, Andy Roberston's transverse looked arsenic though it was astir to beryllium tapped location to springiness Scotland the win, but Manuel Akanji was connected manus to wide the trouble. 

Ahead of kick-off, thousands of Scottish fans brought Cologne to a stand-still arsenic they marched done the metropolis up of the crunch clash.

Led by 100 oregon truthful pipers and drummers, much than 10,000 of the Tartan Army marched the last 1.7km to the Cologne Stadium done quiescent leafy streets with bemused locals hanging retired of windows to photograph the spectacle. 

The parade had been sanctioned by German constabulary with officials adjacent dotting the mile-long way with impermanent toilets.

Officials estimation immoderate 200,000 Scots are successful the state for the Euros and it is thought astir 60,000 made the 300-mile travel from Munich to Cologne aft witnessing the hosts maul Steve Clarke’s men 5-1 connected Friday. 

Scotland are facing different aboriginal exit, having failed to scope the knockout rounds successful 11 erstwhile large tournaments. 

But judging by the scenes successful the riverside metropolis today, the Tartan Army are not letting their team's predicament spoil their fun.

Videos showed jigging and singing fans letting disconnected bluish flares successful the Alter Markt, oregon Old Market – including 1 kid who was surrounding by a radical of men singing the Tartan Army's 'super John McGinn' opus successful tribute to the country's Aston Villa midfielder.

Kilt-wearing supporters packed the steps of the city's celebrated cathedral much than 7 hours earlier kick-off.

In scenes reminiscent of past Friday's events successful Munich – erstwhile the Tartan Army forced the closure of Munich's Marianplatz instrumentality portion up of the tournament's opening crippled betwixt Germany and Scotland - the main quadrate successful Cologne's aged municipality was besides temporarily closed owed to overcrowding.

Torrential downpours and tempest warnings had made for a miserable commencement successful the metropolis with instrumentality zones closed connected Tuesday.

But arsenic the upwind took a crook for the better, determination was nary stopping of the die-hard supporters who turned retired successful their thousands for the organised Fan Walk.

Some 10,000 had tickets for the clash astatine the 50,000-capacity stadium with the remainder crowding into the Heumarkt Fan Zone, which tin instrumentality successful 7,500 supporters, and the escaped Tanzbrunnen nationalist viewing area, which caters for 12,500 people. 

The metropolis besides acceptable up a 3rd portion for ticketless fans successful a metropolis parkland by the Rhein successful mentation for the onslaught of visitors.

The area, covering 30,000 quadrate metres and large capable to instrumentality successful 50,000 shot supporters, has 3 ample screens and a fig of smaller ones, and it volition besides beryllium unfastened for England supporters for Tuesday’s crippled against Slovenia.

Scotland are taking portion successful lone their 2nd large tourney since the 1998 World Cup successful France, having antecedently competed successful the Covid-delayed Euro 2020 finals.

Fans began arriving successful numbers successful the metropolis connected Tuesday, with galore successful kilts seen dancing topless and singing the fans' roster of chants.

It is astir intolerable to committee a bid oregon tram successful immoderate large German metropolis without being successful the institution of a Scot implicit the past week. 

Asked whether determination was anyone near astatine home, Ferry, whose lad has joined him for his archetypal tour, quipped: "My wife! She has to work."

"Win, suffer oregon gully the enactment volition continue," Ferry added. "You won't get escaped of america that easily! It's been magnificent truthful far. Everywhere we spell it's been a enactment and fans of different countries person been brilliant. Even the Austrians were singing No Scotland No Party with america the different night."