IT WAS ironic. The Tartan Army spent the half-time break laying down backing vocals for the charity re-release of the 1982 World Cup favourite 'I Have A Dream'. By the 64th minute it had turned into a waking nightmare for poor Chris Iwelumo.
If the Wolves striker has spent a lifetime of slumbers imagining scenarios for his Scotland debut, it's safe to assume none of them ended with him missing an open goal to win the match.
He had only been on the pitch for seven minutes when the chance presented itself. It was unmissable. Correction, it seemed unmissable. Gary Naysmith played the ball in from the left, and Norwegian keeper Jon Knudsendived to cut it out and failed, leaving Iwelumo unmarked. Instead of tapping it into the empty net, though, he spooned it wide.
"I came into the dressing room and apologised to the boys and to be fair they were all fantastic," said Iwelumo, who refused to hide away afterwards. "I think we had the most of the play. I think we are all disappointed with the point. Unfortunately, I had the chance to put one in and it's not happened for me so I have to take that on the chin.
"It will make me stronger but that's what I'm about, I'm about goals and when I have some time to myself it will definitely be on my mind. Hopefully I showed enough in the other aspects of my game, the winning of the ball, being a target, link up play, holding up the ball that I can keep my involvement in the squad."
It is more than likely, given his presence on the pitch gave Scotland greater impetus and a physical threat. His manager and team-mates rallied round him. Scott Brown had already been teasing him in the dressing room, while strikers James McFadden and Steven Fletcher insisted it was part of a strikers' lot.
"He was there to miss it," said McFadden, "in the right position, and forwards score and forwards miss. He did apologise but I don't think he had to do that."
Iwelumo disagreed. He knew he was responsible for a miss which will go down in folklore.
"I know the chance was massive for everyone and will be the main talking point and that guts me but that's part and parcel of football."
It was the worst possible headlines for him to be grabbing on a debut, which he said had lived up to his expectations in the main.
"I loved every minute, every second of the week and I want to be part of future squads and obviously get another chance to show what I'm about. There was still 20-odd minutes to go so I was hoping I would get a chance to make it right but it just wasn't to be."
The blow was all the harder because, as he admitted, he had already started envisioning the ball hitting the back of the net as it screwed wide.
"I was comfortable and confident when the ball came in and I was thinking I just hope I'm not offside. I have eight goals in six starts for my club and in the form I have been in I'm surprised I'm in this position talking about what I'm talking about but it's one of those things. As I said the gaffer was positive after the match and that's what you have to be."
No shirking it, he knows it would probably be futile to try to forget it anyway and whether a masochist or a perfectionist, he said he will watch the match again and focus on the miss to see what he should have done better.
"Players are their own worst critics and I will watch things and try to improve things and over the next few weeks, no doubt I will be going through it over and over again. I've even got it on Sky Plus!"
It takes a brave man to put himself through that. He had a dream of scoring the winning goal, but on his debut he scored an own goal with fans. It was the stuff nightmares are made of.
GREAT MISSES
PETER VAN VOSSENRangers' Dutch striker scooped the ball over the bar with the goal at his mercy during a 1996 Old Firm game
RONNIE ROSENTHALIn 1992 the Liverpool striker rounded Aston Villa goalkeeper Nigel Spink, leant back and side-footed the ball against the bar
KANUHis miss in the last minute of West Brom's 2-1 defeat to Middlesbrough in 2004 was described as the worst in Premiership history
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Sports writer Andrew Smith will be online for a live discussion of yesterday's match from noon. Click here to join the debate.The full article contains 809 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
