The 1967 British Home Championship clash at Wembley between world champions England and Scotland remains one of the most famous games in this history of the world’s oldest international fixture. England had comfortably disposed of Wales and Northern Ireland in the earlier matches, whilst Scotland had struggled, drawing with Wales and only just beating  Northern Ireland. The Scottish team included Tommy Gemmell, Willie Wallace and Bobby Lennox from Celtic, Ronnie McKinnon and John Greig from Rangers,  Billy Bremner, Denis Law, Eddie McCreadie and Jim McCalliog. Before the match new manager Bobby Brown upset sections of the press by giving 36-year-old Celtic keeper Ronnie Simpson his first Scotland cap ahead of Kilmarnock's Bobby Ferguson. Despite the quality within Scotland's ranks, they were considered underdogs going into the match, as the opposition was virtually the same England eleven who won the World Cup only nine months previously and had gone 19 games undefeated. Manchester United star Denis Law opened the scoring in the 27th minute when he recovered a blocked shot and fired home from close range, shocking the home crowd at Wembley Stadium. The Scots would hold on to that 1-0 lead through halftime and late into the second half, putting everyone on edge. Scotland doubled their lead in the 78th minute when Celtic’s Bobby Lennox hit a daisy cutter from outside the box.England pulled one back just six minutes later thanks to a clean finish Jack Charlton.

But Scotland twisted the knife three minutes later when Sheffield Wednesday’s Jim McCalliog finished from close range. Barely a minute later, World Cup hero Geoff Hurst headed inside the far post to pull England back within one. Even in the dying moments, the frantic endgame gave England hope. 

Scotland didn’t just beat England, they dominated from start to finish.  They were undoubtedly helped by an injury incurred by England's centre-half Jack Charlton as he tackled Lennox early in the first half. Although he stayed on the park for the full 90 minutes playing as a forward, the big Leeds player could barely run. He did, however, manage to score England's opener. The Scottish victory was a result of individual brilliance built on a solid defensive rock. Scotland's fullbacks Tommy Gemmell and Eddie McCreadie had the freedom to support wingers Wallace and Lennox as England manager Alf Ramsay continued with his wingless wonders formation, which had won them the World Cup. However, the day belonged to Jim Baxter, recently transferred from Rangers to Sunderland.  He was in magisterial and unstoppable form and was determined to torment the English team. Legend has it the Sunderland midfielder read the Racing Post in the Wembley dressing room instead of warming up. He slowed the game down and dictated play, even indulging in a spell of keepie-uppies, while riling Alan Ball by calling him Jimmy Clitheroe, the diminutive TV comic with a high-pitched voice.Instead England knocked long balls forward in the hope of finding Hurst and Greaves but neither had much joy against Greig and McKinnon. Glyn Edwards described the game's most famous incident the following Monday in The Herald: "I shall cherish for a long time the memory of Baxter slowing down the game to almost walking pace, insouciantly juggling the ball with his instep, forehead and knees while Stiles, no more than a couple of yards away, bobbed up and down, unsure whether to make his challenge at knee or head level." All this in front of a Wembley crowd of over 99,000 as the jubilant Scots fans declared themselves the true world champions.