What do Scotland need to escape group & make history?

The Rhine wasn’t nan only point flowing beneath an overcast Cologne entity connected Saturday.

Optimism was surging done nan place. Oh, and beer. Lots of beer.

Scotland’s 1-1 tie pinch Switzerland has fixed nan Tartan Army thing tangible to singing astir astatine past successful nan streets and bars of Germany.

But really adjacent are Steve Clarke’s broadside to qualifying? Let’s return a look…

The apical 2 teams successful nan groups automatically qualify. That overmuch is simple.

Finishing third? You still person a chance, arsenic agelong arsenic you’re not successful nan bottommost 2 third-place teams. Four of those six will make it into nan past 16.

After nan Switzerland game, Scotland were nan third-best 3rd -placed squad but that could alteration pinch ever crippled that passes successful nan different groups.

Not slightest because a raft of teams still person to play their 2nd match.

But if Clarke's broadside negociate to support their spot successful that apical four, happy days.

Effectively, yes.

Again, there’s a immense constituent of nan chartless fixed there’s truthful overmuch shot to beryllium played, but Scotland will beryllium successful problem if they neglect to hit nan Hungarians.

If location are loads of draws, mixed pinch group favourites handing retired defeats, past you ne'er know.

But you’d fancy teams to commencement picking up points and for nan shape lines to beryllium disrupted astatine immoderate stage.

Another facet successful each of this is Scotland’s extremity difference. That hammering from Germany has them sitting astatine -4. That's nan aforesaid arsenic Hungary.

The Scots person besides scored conscionable two, which doesn’t thief their goals-for column.

If Scotland triumph successful Stuttgart connected Sunday, they’ll spell to 4 points and that – touch each spot of wood you tin find – should beryllium capable to spot them into nan past 16.

The short reply is yes. The agelong reply is… yes, but astir apt not.

If Germany hit Switzerland and Scotland conclusion Hungary, nan Scots and Swiss will beryllium locked connected 4 points.

We tin hide nan first bid of tiebreakers because they each relates to nan crippled betwixt them, which ended successful a draw.

After that, we move connected to extremity quality successful each 3 group matches. It would return a plaything of 7 goals to mean Scotland would decorativeness second. Unlikely, unless nan Swiss return an almighty hiding against nan hosts.

If - and this is perchance nan biggest if of nan period - Scotland and Switzerland are tied connected points, extremity difference, and goals scored, it goes to whoever has nan champion disciplinary record.

And aft that? Let's not get into that conscionable now...

An fantabulous mobility that deserves an highly convoluted and vague answer.

We only really cognize for judge wherever Scotland would beryllium if they vanished second.

If so, Clarke’s broadside would play nan runners up of Group B successful Berlin’s Olympiastadion connected 29 June astatine 17:00 BST.

Hold your breath, that’s presently holders Italy, but besides could beryllium Spain, Albania aliases Croatia.

If Scotland decorativeness third, they’d beryllium backmost successful Cologne aliases Munich, aliases would recreation to Frankfurt, for a crippled connected 30 June, 1 July aliases 2 July against 1 of nan group winners.

All of this is mind-bendingly confusing, truthful effort not to fret astatine this stage. Scotland conscionable request to get location first.