As Scotland defeated Denmark on Tuesday to book their place at the World Cup for the first time since 1998, it was not only the Hampden Park that was shaking. The earth was shaking too.
According to the British Geological Survey (BGS), Scotland fans’ outburst of emotion when Kenny McLean scored from the halfway line to seal a stunning 4-2 win was equivalent to a very small earthquake. The BGS said McLean’s goal was picked up by its seismic activity monitors at the Glasgow Geothermal Observatory in Dalmarnock, around 2km from Hampden Park.
A reading taken between 21:48 and 21:50 — when McLean’s audacious shot hit the net — was measured as a surge of between -1 and zero on the Richter Scale and produced the equivalent of 200kW, enough to power between 25 and 40 car batteries.
The full-time whistle also produced a reading, as did Kieran Tierney’s superb goal to give Scotland a 3-2 lead.
Stadium events causing seismic activity in Scotland are not unheard of. Last year’s Taylor Swift concerts in Edinburgh also registered on the Richter Scale.
The Scots return after long
Scotland reached the World Cup finals for the first time since 1998 in hair-raising fashion as stoppage-time goals by Kieran Tierney and Kenny McLean secured a memorable 4-2 victory over Denmark at a rocking Hampden Park on Tuesday. When Patrick Dorgu equalised for the second time in the 81st minute, it seemed 10-man Denmark would secure the point they needed to top Group C and book their place in the finals while sending Scotland into the playoffs.
But after a rollercoaster qualifying campaign for the Scots, including a 3-2 defeat in Greece on Saturday, the biggest twist was saved to the very end as they sparked the loudest party the city of Glasgow has seen for years. When the ball came out to substitute Tierney in the third minute of stoppage time, he looked up and curled a superb left-footed shot past a diving Kasper Schmeichel.
The drama was not over though as with Denmark desperately trying to salvage the situation and Schmeichel way out of his goal, McLean launched a shot from the halfway line into the empty net to ensure Scotland’s fabled Tartan Army can start booking flights for next year’s North American showpiece.
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“That just sums up this squad. Never say die. We just keep going right to the end and one of the craziest games,” Scotland captain Andy Robertson said. “We put the country through it, but I’m sure it’s worth it. We’re going to the World Cup.”
(With inputs from Reuters)
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