Thursday was a great day for Celtic stars like Callum McGregor and Ryan Christie as they helped their country to the Euro 2020 finals.
But it was also a positive night for the under-21 side – as they took a big step towards qualification for their own European Championships next year.
David Turnbull and Stephen Welsh were unused subs as Scot Gemmill’s side earned a 2-2 draw with Croatia – a result that gives them a real shot at qualifying for the tournament due to be held in Hungary and Slovenia.
The Scots now know that victory over fourth placed Greece in the final group game on Tuesday will see them top the group and assure qualification.
Hoops team-mate Odsonne Edouard’s France have already qualified for the major competition meaning the the frontman will almost certainly be involved in proceedings.
Patryk Klimala’s Poland are also still in with a shout.
A tournament during the regular season
In any normal season, such a tournament would be played at the end of the year.
But this is no normal campaign. Due to the rearrangement of Euro 2020 to next summer, the U21 European Championship will be played in two parts – in March and June.
The first stage will be played during the March international break meaning that no Hoops stars will miss Celtic matches.
But it will be a really strange feeling to have a major tournament played during the regular season.
Time will tell how it plays out – and exactly who is involved.
In other news, Mikey Johnston could be a shock secret weapon for Scotland at Euro 2020
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