WE’RE going to deep fry your pastries sang the Tartan Army, as fittingly, Scotland gave Denmark an absolute battering at Hampden.

And it was also fitting that it was against the Danes that such a fairytale came true for John Souttar. The Hearts defender may have only been in the starting line-up due to an injury to Jack Hendry, but he made the most of it, rising to head the Scots into the lead to cap off a collective first-half performance that had the national stadium buzzing.

The celebration was cathartic, as years of toiling against injury, those countless hours on the treatment table and in the gym, were suddenly expelled with a roar into the sky above Hampden.

Souttar’s moment of redemption acted as the perfect allegory for the travails of the Tartan Army following the national team throughout some of the leanest years in their long history.

All those nights to forget, all that heartache, this was the reward. A Scotland team taking on one of the best teams in the world at present, and far from setting out to contain them, simply setting about them.

Clarke’s men were irresistible in the opening 45 minutes. Some long-suffering Scotland fans may even have said unrecognisable. While Clarke deserves huge credit for the upturn in results and outcomes since he took charge of the national side, the caveat has usually been that his teams are a model of function over flair.

That charge could not be laid at his door here. From Craig Gordon right through to the impressive Che Adams up top, there were no failures, and multiple stand-outs.

The oft-criticised Stephen O’Donnell more than held his own up against Joakim Maehle too, one of the Danes’ star men. Liam Cooper went toe to toe with the towering Andreas Cornelius and came out on top. Adams showed brilliant strength up top, and might have had the opening goal but for an outstanding first-half save from the foot of Kasper Schmeichel. He would get the goal his performance deserved in time.

It was in the middle of the park though that the difference was made, and where this Scotland side differs from those that have gone before it in perhaps the last two decades.

The axis of the composed assurance provided by Callum McGregor, the all-action inspiration of John McGinn and the tempo-setting, penetrative brilliance of Billy Gilmour is what gave Scotland the platform to take control of the game and ultimately secure their seeding for the play-offs next March.

Take the moment in the first half where the tireless Ryan Christie got back to nip the ball off the toe of a Dane on the edge of the Scottish box. Instead of aimlessly thumping a clearance long, the ball was popped around in a dazzling array of first-time passes that had the visitors chasing shadows.

Before they could get close to the ball, it had been worked back to Christie who was then able to play a controlled long ball to the Andy Robertson, one of two Scottish players who had burst a gut to provide an outlet. Eventually, it was the other – Adams – who got an effort away, which was blocked by Simon Kjaer.

When the goal eventually came, it hadn’t half been coming. And a word of praise too for Austin MacPhee, for it was the Scotland coach’s corner routines that had the Danish defence in a flap from the off - even the normally unflappable Schmeichel – and that ultimately led to them cracking.

McGinn from the Scotland right and Gilmour from the left had been bending corners in on top of the Leicester City man all half, and it was a deep in-swinger from McGinn that did the damage.

The ball found Cooper lurking at the back post, where he nodded back across for Souttar to nod into the net and take the roof off Hampden.

The second period was a nervier affair, particularly when Gilmour tired to break up the midfield trio and captain Robertson had to leave the field with 10 minutes or so remaining to be replaced by Scott McKenna.

Now, it was finally time for containment, and the Tartan Army were back on more familiar ground. They had gone from watching their side on the edge of their seats with excitement to watching through the cracks of their fingers. Would it suddenly be s***e to be Scottish once more?

It certainly looked to be heading that way when Souttar missed a clearance and the ball broke for Maehle in the Scotland area, only for him to fluff his connection and send the ball trickling into the arms of Gordon.

In times past, it would only have been the referee that could have put the Scotland support out of their misery. But this Scotland team had different ideas.

A lightning break saw substitute Stuart Armstrong slide the ball through to Adams, who broke the offside trap as Hampden held its breath. He was the coolest man in Mount Florida as he slid the ball home past Schmeichel, and the Tartan Army exploded in joy.

Piece of cake. Or pastry, if you prefer.