On September 10th 1985 Wales and Scotland met in Cardiff for a crucial World Cup qualification game. The tournament was set to be held in Mexico the following year. Both teams were desperate to keep their hopes of qualifying alive. Coaching the visitors was the legendary Jock Stein, the man behind all of Celtic's great triumphs of the 60's and 70's. In theory, things were looking good for them. A draw would see them reach a play-off against the winner of a yet to be held qualification tournament for Oceania. If they were to win, they had a decent shot of winning the group, which also featured Spain, and qualifying directly.
The only thing Stein's needed to avoid was losing to Wales. In that case only a defeat for Spain could help Scotland reach the play-off, but that was extremely unlikely as the only remaining match for the Spaniards was at home to bottom placed Iceland. Problem was, that losing to Wales was exactly what the Scots had done six months earlier. Wales boasted a world class attacking duo in the form of Liverpool's Ian Rush and Manchester United's Mark Hughes. Even the support of 60.000 fans at Hampden Park hadn't been able to prevent Wales clinching victory courtesy of a 1st half goal scored by Rush. If that defeat wasn't troubling enough in itself for Stein, this time around he'd have to take on the Welsh without his captain Graeme Souness, due to a suspension, and his star player Kenny Dalglish, due to an injury.
That evening, much to his dismay, Stein saw exactly the one scenario Scotland needed to avoid play out before his eyes. Even the five-man defence he had fielded, in hopes of containing Rush and Hughes, was unable to prevent the latter giving the home side the lead within the first fifteen minutes of the game. During the rest of the half a second Welsh goal seemed a lot more more likely than an equaliser, with the Scottish goalkeeper Jim Leighton looking very suspect. At half-time it turned out he had lost a contact lens. Stein almost exploded when Leighton admitted he had not brought replacement lenses. He would have to substitute his goalkeeper, which left him with only one substitution for the second half.
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| Jock Stein and his assistent-manager Alex Ferguson during the game |
It only added to the pressure Stein found himself under. His stint as national manager appeared to be heading for a very disappointing conclusion. Everybody obviously understood that success with Scotland was always going to be much more difficult to achieve than with Celtic, where Stein had once famously won nine championships in a row, but missing out on qualification for three out the four tournaments held during his reign would be a poor result by any standard. That sort of failure might even cast a unflattering light on his role in Celtic's triumphs.
Suffering from heart disease, the extra stress that the prospect of getting the sack brought with it was the last thing the 62-year old Stein needed. He announced his intention to take off Gordon Strachan at some point during the second half and bring on an extra forward. The red-headed midfielder wasn't exactly thrilled at the prospect of being subbed. He was convinced Stein's five-man defence was the cause of Scotland's woes, gifting control of midfield to the Welch. The game called for an extra midfielder to be brought on, if anything. But just as the fiery Manchester United player was about to speak his mind, assistant-manager Alex Ferguson stopped him. Ferguson thought Stein was looking poorly, and didn't want him subjected to a heated discussion.
The second half didn't exactly alleviate the stress Stein was under. Wales were firmly in control of the match and should have doubled their advantage, when Rush somehow managed to miss a sitter. With half an hour left, Stein decided to play all or nothing and brought on an extra attacker. For the first time Scotland was able to put Wales under some sort of pressure, although clear cut opportunities still failed to materialise. As the tension mounted, Scotland's shot at an equaliser finally came when the ball hit a Welch arm inside the box with ten minutes to go. Although it looked more like ball to arm than the other way around, the Dutch referee awarded for a penalty. When the penalty kick was converted Scottish fans, players and bench alike exploded with joy. The only Scot who's reaction was subdued was Stein. He looked pale and was sweating profusely.
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| Scotland equalizes from the penalty-spot |
Wales immediately brought on an extra attacker and a hectic last ditch offensive begun. With the minutes ticking away agonisingly slow, journalist started to gather around the Scottish bench, looking to snap a shot of Stein's reaction to the moment of triumph. Annoyed by the obstructed view, the Scotland manager gestured for them to move back. Stewart Hillis, the Scotland medic for the match, recalls what happened next: "With around two minutes to go, the referee's whistle sounded and Jock thought the match was over. He got up and then collapsed to his knees.”
As the match continued, Stein was lifted onto a stretcher and brought to the stadium's medical room. There Scotland's medical team desperately tried to treat what appeared to be a heart attack. Hillis: “We were trying to revive him. His last words were, 'I'm feeling much better now, doc'.” Their efforts proved in vain. Stein died on the treatment table while his players, who hadn't been told, were celebrating their victory. Back in the dressing room they finally got the bad news. Defender Alex McLeish: “We’d been jumping up and down, patting each other on the back, celebrating. Then Alex opened the door, he came in and he said two words, Jock’s dead.”
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| As the players celebrate, Alex Ferguson looks worried |
The journey home took place in a state of utter devastation, without Stein, whose body had to be left in Cardiff to be repatriated later. He would be cremated during a private ceremony held a few days later. Scottish football had lost a living legend. He has never been forgotten and today a statue of Jock Stein holding the European Cup in his hands stands next to the main entrance of Celtic Park, commemorating the most successful trainer in the history of the club.
And that qualifying spot for the World Cup that the night had been all about? Stein's men would snap up their ticket to Mexico a month and a half later, by beating Australia 2-0 on aggregate over two games.