EVERY footballer dreams of representing their country at an international tournament.
But that dream quickly turned into a nightmare for Ryan Porteous after he was shown a red card for a nasty challenge on Ilkay Gundogan, reducing Steve Clarke’s men to 10 men against Germany.
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The Watford defender will now miss Scotland‘s next game against Switzerland – and could potentially be ruled out for the final group clash with Hungary if it’s upgraded to a two-game suspension.
The red card decision was given a unanimous verdict by ITV pundits in the studio, and the centre-back will no doubt be feeling regret over his rash tackle.
But while fans have hit out at the former Hibs star, there is one man who sympathises with him over the incident – because he knows what it’s like to let his nation down.
Former Celtic star Craig Burley, 52, was the last Scot to be sent off at an international tournament – when he infamously received a red card against Morocco in France ’98.
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It’s a moment that still lives with him to this day as it ended of the Tartan Army‘s hopes of reaching the knockout stages for the first time in their history.
Scotland were sitting on one point going into the final game against Morocco after losing the opener to Brazil and drawing 1-1 with Norway in the second game.
Craig Brown’s men knew they required three points to stand a chance of progressing to the next round but they crashed to a 3-0 defeat at the hands of the African country.
Morocco raced into a 2-0 lead in the first half following goals from Salaheddine Bassir and Abdeljalil Hadda, leaving Scotland with a mountain to climb in the second half.
But similarly to Porteous, who was dismissed at 2-0 against Germany, Burley was given his marching orders nine minutes, giving Brown’s side no chance.
And Burley took to social media during tonight’s match in Munich to send a heartfelt message to the former Hibs star after he suffered the same fate.
The former Chelsea, Derby and Dundee midfielder sympathised with Porteous and insisted he isn’t alone.
He wrote: “Welcome to the club, Ryan!”
Pundits on the other hand didn’t have the same support for the defender as former Scotland and Aberdeen star Willie Miller hit out at the challenge, admitting it left him “feeling a bit sick”.
Speaking on BBC Sportsound, he said: “You’re not going to win the ball with a tackle, you’ve got to try and block it.
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“He should be trying to make himself big and be a block rather than a tackle.
“What he’s actually done is combine the scissor challenge with an over the top into the ankle, it’s horrendous and makes you feel a bit sick.
“Gundogan is lucky because his studs are in the ground and he’s fortunate they bounce up when the tackle goes in, otherwise it’s a snap. It’s horrible. It’s a horrible challenge.”
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