Reasons to be cheerful... and fearful! Scotland's attitude was spot-on against Swiss, but performance has to be a lot better on Sunday. And there can't be any more crazy mistakes!

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There were many moments during last Friday’s opening game in Munich when it felt like the 23 years Scotland spent in international exile were, in fact, a blessing in disguise.

Even before Ryan Porteous was sent off on the cusp of half-time, the match was an embarrassing, one-sided rout.

Steve Clarke had lost players of the ilk of Aaron Hickey and Lewis Ferguson in the weeks before Euro 2024 started, yet it appeared that the heart and soul of the team had already been ripped out.

Had that barnstorming display against Spain at Hampden never actually happened? Were those five straight wins at the start of qualifying a figment of our imagination?

As the mercy of the final whistle approached, a worrying pre-tournament run of one win in nine had just become one in 10.

Perhaps that was a more accurate reflection of the team’s true standing. Maybe the qualifiers had simply been an outlier. In the dark hours that following a humbling 5-1 loss, it did feel as if we were interlopers at a party.

Scott McTominay and Andy Robertson talk tactics during the 1-1 draw with the Swiss

McTominay and the Scotland midfield were effective in neutralising Swiss star Granit Xhaka

A frustrated Granit Xhaka makes his point to Scotland defender Grant Hanley on Wednesday

Fast forward to Cologne five nights on and the sense of self-worth and optimism had returned in no small measure.

Switzerland, granted, were not Germany. But they’d impressively seen off a much-vaunted Hungary side on the Saturday. They could call on real class in Xherdan Shaqiri, Granit Xhaka and Michel Aebischer. If Clarke’s side produced anything like their dismal showing against the hosts, the result was a foregone conclusion.

Even before a ball was kicked, you could sense something was in the air. As they sang Flower of Scotland, the players looked almost angry and ready to battle for the cause.

What ensued was much closer to what we’d hoped for. Scotland were courageous on the ball and steely off it.

They made forward passes when the opportunity arose and recycled the play when required. They won tackles you’d expect them to win and others you didn’t. They engaged their opponents further up the park while simultaneously being more compact and better organised.

The inclusion of Billy Gilmour set the right tone. The Brighton man, always willing to take the ball in tight areas, invariable made the right choice of pass. He was the perfect foil for Callum McGregor in the holding roles.

There were more benefits to Gilmour’s selection than better ball retention, however.

It allowed Scott McTominay to be deployed further up the field — where he’d scored seven goals in qualifying — with the Manchester United man timing his run to perfection to sweep home McGregor’s cut-back. If anything, McTominay’s work off the ball was more important. He stayed close to Xhaka and cut off the passing lines to him. 

The Bayer Leverkusen man ran the show against the Hungarians but didn’t really get going on Wednesday. Collectively, Scotland struck the right balance. They pressed aggressively when the time was right without going gung-ho. They played through the lines where possible and only went long to Che Adams through necessity.

It was a marked improvement on last Friday. It reaffirmed your belief they were at the tournament on merit and might just do something.

As encouraging as it was, however, it was by no means perfect. Sure, Grant Hanley’s header came back off the post, but Angus Gunn was forced to make a couple of fine saves and the Swiss squandered some fine opportunities.

Although it felt like a good point in the end, it could very easily have been a narrow defeat leading to elimination.

Scotland can still play better. And, even though they’ll now face a Hungary side looking for a miracle, they will need to go up another gear if they are to secure the victory they need to qualify in Stuttgart on Sunday.

It probably goes without saying that they cannot afford another error like the one Anthony Ralston made as Shaqiri levelled for the Swiss out of nowhere.

You’ll probably get punished for such a lapse in concentration in a run-of-the-mill Scottish Premiership game. At this level, it’s certain.

It wasn’t just the Celtic man who seemed shaken by that aberrational moment. It seemed to rattle the entire team.

Having passed the ball with composure and assurance, they became ragged immediately before and after the break before finding a second wind.

They’ll inevitably encounter moments of adversity on Sunday. They must deal with them far better.

In fairness, the sight of Kieran Tierney leaving the pitch on a stretcher after injuring his knee was an extremely tough moment for all concerned.

The Arsenal man is now out of the tournament. If it hadn’t been for bad luck with injuries to players in this past month, Clarke would have had none.

Scott McKenna was sprung from the bench and did what was asked of him. He took a booking for the team to stop a Swiss counter-attack and defended his box well.

It’s no slight on him to say he’s no Tierney, though. He isn’t going to make the same underlapping and overlapping runs come Sunday.

Clarke and his coaching staff will have to find other ways of unlocking a defence if they are to get the goals they need to win the game and qualify.

It’s an occasion where victory is non-negotiable, although that doesn’t mean the points have to be in the bag by half-time.

The manager still has a few cards to play. James Forrest, Lewis Morgan and Tommy Conway have yet to kick a ball in Germany. Lawrence Shankland has only made two brief substitute appearances.

Clarke will hope he’s introducing those players to help see out a victory rather than chase one.

Only a fool would consider Hungary to be there for the taking. Marco Rossi’s side may have lost their opening two matches, with their goal difference now standing at minus four, but they are still clinging on by their fingertips.

Billy Gilmour played a key role for Scotland as he returned to the starting line-up

They’d need to beat Scotland by three or four goals and then hope that the results in other groups go their way to extend their stay in Germany. A slim chance is always better than none.

Despite eventually losing 2-0 to the tournament hosts earlier on Wednesday, they caused them far more problems than Scotland did, managing four shots in target and seven corners. Clarke’s men drew a blank on both counts.

In their captain, Dominik Szoboszlai, they boast one of the best box-to-box midfielders in Europe.

If Scotland think for a second that the Liverpool man and his team-mates are just going to give up on this, they’ll be sorely mistaken.

You’d like to think the opening match against Germany will forever act as a warning as to how ineffective Scotland can be when they are not at it.

The display in Cologne was a lot closer to the mark. For history to be made this weekend, there will still need to be a substantial improvement.