WE'RE IN THE ZONE

Fans in high spirits before party falls flat as team crumble to a crushing 5-1 defeat

- BEV LYONS

SCOTLAND fans got right behind Steve Clarke's boys at fan zones around the country last night - before it all went horribly wrong.

Supporters were in good spirits until about 10 minutes into the match when Florian Wirtz put the home side ahead.

Heads were in hands as the Germans swept into a threegoal lead and Scotland's Ryan Porteous was sent off.

But it takes a lot to keep the Tartan Army down.

Among hundreds gathered at Dundee Fan Park in the city's Riverside Park was Barrie Laing, who was remaining optimistic.

The 56-year-old, who works for a manufacturing company in the city, said he still hoped Scotland could progress to the knockout stages.

Barrie said: "I'm old enough to have so many dreams shattered but I keep dreaming.

"I'm just happy that we got here.

"As far as I'm concerned, the job's done. We've qualified and anything now is a bonus.

"It's not going to be easy, we've had so many false dawns, but it's got to happen one day."

Earlier, the Tartan Army's home guard were in fine form.

Bars and fanzones were filled to the brim with fans who were making the most of the party atmosphere. In Glasgow's Merchant Square, the atmosphere was buzzing long before the Scots squad even took to the pitch.