Scott McTominay hero of the day as Scotland defeat mighty Spain after 39 years

Having won the European Championship three times, Spain are the joint-most successful team in the competition, along with Germany.

In the ongoing Euro 2024 qualifiers, on Tuesday, Spain came face to face against Scotland, who have played in the main competition just three times so far. In what turned out to be a memorable day for Scotland football, Andrew Robertson's side defeated the three-time champions Spain in front of nearly 50,000 fans at Hampden Park in Glasgow.

It marked Scotland's first victory over mighty Spain in as long as 39 years, and it was probably their best result since beating France in 2007.

Spain's first Euro loss since 2014

Aiming to qualify for their second straight European Championship, Scotland have maintained their perfect start in the qualifiers, having earlier defeated Cyprus in their first group fixture. With two out of two victories, Scotland have six points and are at the top of Group A, three points ahead of second-placed Spain and five more than struggling Georgia and Norway.

It was the first loss for Spain in a Euro qualifier since a defeat to Slovakia in 2014 and they had won 17 of their 19 fixtures since then. In the previous edition, Spain made it to the semi-finals, where they lost to eventual champions Italy.

The loss against Scotland would definitely hurt Spain, who made eight changes from the side which overcame Norway 3-0 on Saturday.

Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay was once again Scotland's hero of the day. He netted both goals against Spain, while the Spanish side posed little threat to the home side. Even in Scotland's 3-0 win over Cyprus over the weekend, McTominay had bagged a brace.

Just seven minutes after the kick-off, the 26-year-old midfielder netted through a deflected opener given his way by skipper Robertson and saw Hampden Park explode with celebrations. Soon after the game resumed post the half-time break, McTominay bamboozled the Spanish defence at the end of an excellent run and from a cross from Kieran Tierney to double Scotland's lead, causing chaos in the stands as well.

The Scotland fans were not going to have mild celebrations as it was long-awaited, especially after loyally backing their boys amid some heartbreaking results including defeats in Kazakhstan, and Israel or a draw against rival neighbours England, courtesy of a late-gasp Harry Kane equaliser.

'This is your chance to create a legacy as a Scotland player'

Reacting to the remarkable night at Hampden Park, McTominay revealed the inspiring words from boss Steve Clarke to him and the boys ahead of the big clash with Spain.

"The manager said before getting on the bus for the stadium: 'This is your chance to create a legacy as a Scotland player.' These are the sort of nights in 20-30 years you remember as a player. When you watch back the game you say I was there. It's what the game is about," said McTominay in a post-match interview.

McTominay, who made his international debut in 2018, acknowledged the fans' support, saying," Look at this place – I've never seen anything like it, incredible."

Speaking about Scotland's performance, McTominay praised his side, saying "we did really, really well."

"We knew they'd have lots of the ball, and the manager said to be clinical when we had the opportunities, and I thought we had enough opportunities tonight to really hurt them and score some goals. As a kid, I was an attacking midfielder – I like to get in the box. I've got to keep doing that, I know I can add more goals and assists to my game," the Man Utd midfielder added.

The club season is set to resume over the upcoming weekend. Scotland's next game for the Euro 2024 qualifiers is scheduled to be played later in the year in June against Norway, followed by Georgia.