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Kenny McLean’s stunning halfway-line strike sparked celebrations that registered on the Richter scale
Will CastleSaturday 22 November 2025 16:24 GMTComments
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Scotland fans caused something akin to a mini-earthquake during their wild celebrations after two dramatic stoppage-time goals against Denmark saw Steve Clarke’s side seal participation at their first World Cup since 1998.
The British Geological Survey (BGS) recorded seismic activity equivalent to an “extremely small earthquake” in the immediate aftermath of Kenny McLean’s 98th-minute halfway-line strike, lobbing Kasper Schmeichel to send Hampden Park into raptures.
The BGS said McLean’s goal was picked up by its monitors at the Glasgow Geothermal Observatory in Dalmarnock, around 2km from Hampden.
A reading taken between 9.48pm and 9.50pm local time – when McLean’s audacious shot hit the net – was measured as a surge of between –1 and zero on the Richter scale and produced the equivalent of 200kW, enough to power between 25 and 40 car batteries.
Scotland qualified for the World Cup by beating Denmark 4-2 on Tuesday (Andrew Milligan/PA) (PA Wire)It was the second explosion of noise experienced in stoppage time, with Kieran Tierney’s superb 93rd-minute curling strike giving Scotland a crucial 3-2 lead to snatch automatic World Cup qualification back from the Danes.
Tierney’s goal also registered on the Richter scale, as did the full-time whistle on Tuesday, which confirmed Scotland’s place at next summer’s tournament finals with a 4-2 win.
Stadium events causing seismic activity in Scotland are not unheard of. Last year’s Taylor Swift concerts in Edinburgh also registered on the Richter scale.
Additional reporting from Reuters
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