Spain 3 v Scotland 1

It was the denouement to Scotland's Euro 2012 campaign. They came from far and wide to be in Alicante on Tuesday evening to see their country play the World Champions in their back yard. An official allocation of 1200 tickets couldn't prevent more than 15,000 from turning up for a party and around 5,000 made it into the home ground of Hercules FC to see the spectacle.

The difference in class between the opponents was evident from kick-off as Spain strung 20-odd passes together before Scotland got a touch. The first goal was scored within five minutes and we were quickly left to admire how the game can be played when players with the ultimate ability are able to ping the ball across the grass with such speed and accuracy whilst out-manouevering their opponents. That it finished 3-1 was a relief as there was the potential for an embarrassing scoreline which would have been hard on an honest Scotland side who did their best.


We trudged back to the city to join the others and carried on the party but it had peaked and the journeys homeward began that night with buses leaving the city for other holiday towns and airports. I came home yesterday via Murcia with the fantastic memories of hundreds of hopeful Scots playing on the beach and around the marina on Tuesday. Alicante was a very pleasant surprise. Much more like Barcelona than Benidorm. No all-day English breakfasts and a clean and upmarket town with public artworks and historic buildings. 

It will likely be a year at least before another competitive (sic) Scotland match but it will come around and it will be a World Cup qualifier, maybe against Belgium or Wales. By then we will be ready again and will gather once more to celebrate with those who are most like us.  As one of the Saltires hung from palm trees down by the harbour read, "there is a light that never goes out."