Blast From the Past a Cunning Plan, a Late Goal and a Frenzied Crowd All Helped Scotland Beat Italy in 1965. Alan Campbell Hears There Are Lessons to Be Learned

Summary

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IT was to be a short-lived triumph, but at least it set a precedent for Scotland beating Italy. The 1-0 victory at Hampden, on November 9, 1965, preceded a 3-0 defeat in Naples the following month which eliminated Scotland from the 1966 World Cup in England but there was to be a nasty sting in the tail for the Italians also.

The visitors had not endeared themselves to the Scottish public prior to the Hampden game. With the smell of cordite from Guy Fawkes Night still in the air, the Glasgow Herald published an article from the Italian paper Milan Guerin Sportivo. Headlined "Le Belve Di Glasgow", it described the Scottish players in disparaging terms, comparing them to blacksmiths and buffaloes. (As for the public, the headline, translated as "The Beasts Of Glasgow" said it all. ) Whether John Greig was an artisan or an animal depended on which side of the Old Firm divide you were judging his artistic merits.

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Extract

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Blast From the Past a Cunning Plan, a Late Goal and a Frenzied Crowd All Helped Scotland Beat Italy in 1965. Alan Campbell Hears There Are Lessons to Be Learned

But either way, the Rangers player rammed these remarks down the Italians' throats in front of more than 100,000 rabid fans.

The Scotland team was: Bill Brown (Spurs); Greig (Rangers) and Davie Provan (Rangers); Bobby Murdoch (Celtic), Ronnie McKinnon ...

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