"It's been an awful long time coming, 20-odd years in this camp, trying to get there, some failures along the way, some bad nights out there, but I don't think I'll ever get one as good as that to be a part of. Incredible to be part of that. It's going to take a while to sink in before I can really think about the next step. I nearly retired in the summer."
"Steve Clarke was the one that told me to give it one more year, he might need me. I could have given all that up. That one moment there tonight, that is worth everything, all the disappointments, all the hard work, all the years that I've been trying. Seven hundred, 800 games, whatever I've played, for that one moment."
Craig Gordon, aged 42, secured qualification for his first World Cup after a career marked by severe injuries and repeated setbacks. Gordon made his Scotland debut in 2004 and will be 43 by the time the finals begin. He extended his Hearts contract for one year despite considering retirement and had not played this season before being recalled for the decisive qualifiers against Greece and Denmark. Scotland beat Denmark 4-2 to reach their first World Cup since 1998. Steve Clarke persuaded Gordon to give his career one more year, and key goals from McTominay, Tierney and McLean sealed the triumph.
Read at ESPN.com
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