Scotland proved once again last night to be the perfect sparring partners for heavyweights looking for a good work-out. Having shown they could take a punch - Pierre Laigle's opening goal - and come back with damage of their own when Gordon Durie equalised within a few seconds, they were unlucky to go behind again to the substitute Youri Djorkaeff's penalty 13 minutes from the end.
It was a soft award, made by the Spanish referee for Craig Burley's mild challenge on Laigle.
Scotland's refusal to allow opponents simply to run over them in midfield and defensive areas often allows them to take possession of the ball in promising areas, and they were able, indeed, to trouble Marcel Desailly and Laurent Blanc, the French central defenders, before the home forwards bothered Christian Dailly, Colin Calderwood and David Weir.
The Scots had frustrated France so successfully that the home team suffered loud derision from their supporters.
The boos of the local supporters then turned to acclaim when Laigle opened the scoring after 35 minutes. A high centre from Ibrahim Ba on the right was pushed away by the stretching Sullivan and the ball ran out to Laigle on the left.
With marvellous control, the Sampdoria man drive it low with his left foot over the line from around 20 yards.
But the Scots equalised straight from the kick-off. The ball was played down the right, where Gallacher took control and delivered the cross low to Durie. The Rangers striker, with an unexpected amount of space and time, turned and powered the ball high past Fabien Barthez with his right foot from 12 yards.
Craig Brown would be particularly pleased by the showing of David Weir, the Hearts defender, and Neil Sullivan, the Wimbledon goalkeeper, both international novices.
The Scots were so full of themselves for certain periods that they even managed to create the two best chances - the goals apart - of the match by the time they had reached the two-thirds stage.
France: Barthez, Thuram, Blanc, Desailly, Laigle, Deschamps, Petit (Boghossian 73), Ba (Gava 79), Zidane, Laslandes (Djorkaeff 71), Guivarc'h. Subs Not Used: Letizi, Candela, Leboeuf. Goals: Djorkaeff 78 pen, Laigle 35.
Scotland: Sullivan, Burley, Boyd (T McKinlay 79), Calderwood, Weir (Elliott 76), Dailly, Gallacher (Donnelly 83), B McKinlay, Durie (Hopkin 89), McAllister, Collins. Subs Not Used: Goram, McCoist, Gemmill. Goals: Durie 36.
Referee: A Lopez Nieto (Spain).
