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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
National
Mark Walker

Celtic star's unique claim to fame in relation to facing Brazil for Scotland

Celtic's Kieran Tierney & Anthony Ralston on Scotland duty (Image: Stuart Wallace / Shutterstock)

Anthony Ralston can claim a unique claim to fame after being named in Scotland's World Cup squad this week...

He's the only member of Steve Clarke's 26-man group who has been part of a Scotland team to have beaten Brazil.

The Celtic full back is preparing to try and help the Hoops to a double as they face Championship side Dunfermline at Hampden in the Scottish Cup Final.

Ralston could add to his 25 caps this summer with Scotland due to face Haiti, Morocco and Brazil - who they have famously failed to defeat on ten occasions, which includes four showdowns at the World Cup.

However, Ralston can give his teammates advice on how to beat the South American giants because he was part of the only Scotland side to get the better of them.

Nine years ago at the Toulon Tournament, Scot Gemmill's young Scots beat Brazil 1-0 at Fos-Sur-Mer...still the only time a Scots team got the better of Brazil. The Under 20s side eventually reached the semi-finals.

And incredibly, Ralston is the only player from that highly-touted team who have been selected for the World Cup this summer.

His former Celtic colleague Greg Taylor got the only goal that hot afternoon and although the PAOK left back has won 14 caps, he hasn't featured for Scotland for two years.


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Others in that team who have won caps include Oliver Burke and Ross McCrorie, but neither was selected by Clarke.

Hearts star Jamie McCart played along with the likes of Kyle Magennis and Ryan Hardie and lesser-known kids, including Ruben Sammut and Adam Frizzell started.

An 18-year-old Ralston, who had been handed his Celtic debut the previous month, said then: "It’s been the stuff of dreams for me after my first Celtic start and then beating Brazil.

"We were buzzing after the Brazil game. We’re the first Scottish team to achieve that.

"Brazil are used to keeping the ball and passing it, but we went out to unsettle them and we got the result.

"We all went out with the attitude that it was 11 v 11 and not think of them as Brazil and we went out and had a go."

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