THEY'RE renowned thinkers the Greeks. They've quite a history for it in this particular ancient capital.
But all the philosophising in the world might not fully explain what happened here in Athens as Steve Clarke carried his Scotland side one huge step back towards the top flight of the Nations League.
Let's be clear on a night of joyous confusion. For a start, Clarke and his players were playing Greece off their own pitch with a first-half display which was high on composure and control.
A Scott McTominay penalty had them ahead at half-time but it could and should have been a great deal more.
And yet this tie could have been turned on its head by a storming second half from the home side who looked transformed by the arrival of a teenage sensation from the bench.
Then, at the death, they thought they were snatching a draw only to be denied a spot-kick of their own by the men with the remote control.
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1583517504/1742523956/articles/4Cj9wgJ4r4gk8epwnDsys/1575955595.jpg]
So now all roads lead to Hampden for Sunday's second leg and they might still be trying to get their heads around all of this madness on the charter flight to Glasgow.
Clarke, of course, had some serious decision-making to do before a ball had been kicked.
And the news that he had, in fact, chosen to stick with a back four even though it meant leaving Kieren Tierney on the bench was the first eyebrow raiser.
Rewind to less than a year ago and the very notion that he might make such a call, with a fit and firing Tierney at his disposal, would have brought about a visit from another kind of medics.
Yet times have changed since last summer's Euros. Clarke's Scotland have moved on.
The same theme was reflected in midfield as, even though old faithful Kenny McLean kept hold of his starting place, the absence of Tierney allowed room for one more central operator.
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1583517504/1742523956/articles/4Cj9wgJ4r4gk8epwnDsys/7522657116.jpg]
So up stepped Lewis Ferguson for what felt like the long awaited launch of his international career, with the Bologna man lining up alongside three more Serie A Scots-McTominay, Che Adams and Billy Gilmour.
Any more of this recent trend and they'll have to start calling Clarke's team the Tartanaccio of the European scene.
Gilmour and McLean anchored midfield with John McGinn and Ferguson deployed right and left of them in more advanced roles and McTominay picking up pockets of space in and around a lean looking Adams.
Tierney might not have liked it much. But it looked pretty good to the rest of us and very quickly the Greeks began to seem fairly flummoxed by it and unable to play their way into the contest.
It was Clarke's players and especially his overloaded midfield - who were dominating large chunks of possession and coping comfortably with what little was coming the other way.
Yes, Tony Ralston was required to make a terrific defensive header at Craig Gordon's back post and then block a shot which may otherwise have tested the veteran keeper's reactions.
But there was a calmness and authority to the way Scotland were moving the ball and keeping it to themselves.
True, they weren't bothering Kostas Tzolakis too much but it did feel like only a matter of time until they passed their way through the No.1's defences.
And it came just after the half-ho...
But all the philosophising in the world might not fully explain what happened here in Athens as Steve Clarke carried his Scotland side one huge step back towards the top flight of the Nations League.
Let's be clear on a night of joyous confusion. For a start, Clarke and his players were playing Greece off their own pitch with a first-half display which was high on composure and control.
A Scott McTominay penalty had them ahead at half-time but it could and should have been a great deal more.
And yet this tie could have been turned on its head by a storming second half from the home side who looked transformed by the arrival of a teenage sensation from the bench.
Then, at the death, they thought they were snatching a draw only to be denied a spot-kick of their own by the men with the remote control.
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1583517504/1742523956/articles/4Cj9wgJ4r4gk8epwnDsys/1575955595.jpg]
So now all roads lead to Hampden for Sunday's second leg and they might still be trying to get their heads around all of this madness on the charter flight to Glasgow.
Clarke, of course, had some serious decision-making to do before a ball had been kicked.
And the news that he had, in fact, chosen to stick with a back four even though it meant leaving Kieren Tierney on the bench was the first eyebrow raiser.
Rewind to less than a year ago and the very notion that he might make such a call, with a fit and firing Tierney at his disposal, would have brought about a visit from another kind of medics.
Yet times have changed since last summer's Euros. Clarke's Scotland have moved on.
The same theme was reflected in midfield as, even though old faithful Kenny McLean kept hold of his starting place, the absence of Tierney allowed room for one more central operator.
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1583517504/1742523956/articles/4Cj9wgJ4r4gk8epwnDsys/7522657116.jpg]
So up stepped Lewis Ferguson for what felt like the long awaited launch of his international career, with the Bologna man lining up alongside three more Serie A Scots-McTominay, Che Adams and Billy Gilmour.
Any more of this recent trend and they'll have to start calling Clarke's team the Tartanaccio of the European scene.
Gilmour and McLean anchored midfield with John McGinn and Ferguson deployed right and left of them in more advanced roles and McTominay picking up pockets of space in and around a lean looking Adams.
Tierney might not have liked it much. But it looked pretty good to the rest of us and very quickly the Greeks began to seem fairly flummoxed by it and unable to play their way into the contest.
It was Clarke's players and especially his overloaded midfield - who were dominating large chunks of possession and coping comfortably with what little was coming the other way.
Yes, Tony Ralston was required to make a terrific defensive header at Craig Gordon's back post and then block a shot which may otherwise have tested the veteran keeper's reactions.
But there was a calmness and authority to the way Scotland were moving the ball and keeping it to themselves.
True, they weren't bothering Kostas Tzolakis too much but it did feel like only a matter of time until they passed their way through the No.1's defences.
And it came just after the half-ho...
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Daily Record (Digital) - 1 Issue, March 21, 2025