When Jim Leighton, Tom Boyd, Colin Hendry and company lined up against Brazil to open the France ‘98 World Cup, the game was watched almost exclusively on CRT television sets.
There were no streaming services, Sky Sports apps, or anything like that. The internet was in its infancy and if you wanted to rewatch the match, you’d need to set your VHS recorder.
Fans wouldn’t even have Googled for the results – the world’s number one search engine hadn’t been founded yet – and many still relied on Teletext and Ceefax.
On the day after the night before when Steve Clarke’s troops made history by becoming the first Scottish side to qualify for a major tournament in 22 long years, we take a look at 22 things that didn’t exist back in 1998.
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5. Wikipedia
Remember those days when you had to spend an absolute fortune on the latest volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica in order to digest all the world's random facts? Wikipedia has since saved us a hell of lot of cash, shelf space and is always up-to-date - though not always entirely accurate, mind you... Photo: Contributed
6. Europa League
A wee brother to the UEFA Champions League, the Europa League didn't exist in 1998. Europe's secondary footballing tournament was then known as the UEFA Cup and stuck to a knockout format. The tournament was reimagined as the Europa League in 2009. Photo: Contributed
7. E-cigarettes
Vaping was a markedly less popular pastime in the 1990s, chiefly due to the fact that e-cigarettes hadn't been invented yet. Beijing pharmacist Hon Lik is credited as having produced the first commercially successful e-cigarette in 2003. Photo: Contributed
8. Wizz Air
The late '90s was when the budget airlines really began to spread their wings and provide a cheaper alternative for flying abroad. Scottish football fans would have to wait until 2003 to fly with Hungarian airline Wizz Air. Photo: Contributed