On a truly bittersweet night for Callum McGregor, there was a mixture of pride, despair, but also a sense of grudging wonder at being in the presence of true greatness.
The Scotland midfielder was of course devastated to crash out of Euro 2020 with a 3-1 loss to Croatia at Hampden.
But there was a real moment to savour when his first-ever goal for his country hauled Steve Clarke’s side level before half time after Nikola Vlasic’s opener.
Callum McGregor scored his first Scotland goal but his country went down 3-1 to Croatia
It was a day of mixed emotions for the midfielder (right) whose side crashed out of Euro 2020
However, ultimately, there was just no denying that Scotland had been toppled by a truly world class talent in the form of the outstanding Real Madrid schemer Luka Modric.
The 35-year-old 2018 Ballon d’Or winner scored one of the goals of the tournament, finding the top left corner of the Scotland net with the outside of his right foot to make it 2-1.
In a veritable Mount Florida masterclass he also contributed an assist from a dangerous corner for Ivan Perisic’s third goal.
The goal of the game came from Luka Modric who curled in a strike with the outside of his boot
‘I think we lost to too much quality in the end,’ admitted McGregor. ‘You saw the second goal, Modric with the outside of his foot puts the ball into the top corner.
‘That’s what you are up against at this level. It’s a tough lesson. The lads are shattered. We put so much energy into it.’
Yet when McGregor arrowed in a strike with his less-favoured right-foot in the 42nd minute, a nation dared to dream.
The first scorer for Scotland at a major finals since Craig Burley against Norway at World Cup France 98, it was a moment the Celtic midfielder will never forget even if what followed was painful.
McGregor reveals Scotland will now be focusing on qualifying for the World Cup in 2022
But the 28-year-old hopes the end of the Euros is the start of Scotland gracing major finals again on a regular basis.
‘It’s always nice to score your first goal for your country,’ nodded McGregor. ‘It was a really proud moment but ultimately we are disappointed that we never quite got the result we wanted.
‘Does the experience make us determined to get back to this level? Absolutely! It’s been an amazing experience. Every single one of us has learned so much.
‘It was such a tough learning experience again tonight against some really top players but it gives you the hunger to get back here to major tournaments. We’ve got the World Cup next year and we want to make sure we
