Group D has taken Scotland through all manner of emotions, and so too has the match which killed off their hopes of Euro 2016 qualification.
After falling behind to a Robert Lewandowksi goal with the match barely up and running, Gordon Strachan’s men hauled themselves back into a game they had been second best in to take an unlikely lead through fantastic Matt Ritchie and Steven Fletcher strikes.
If only the story had ended there. But this is Scotland.
It was bad enough that Ireland had taken the lead against world champions Germany but, as things stood, France next summer was still a possibility.
That was until four minutes into stoppage time when a scruffy finish from that man Lewandowski clinched a draw for the Poles and left Scotland on the floor.
A last game clash with minnows Gibraltar on Sunday, that a few months ago threatened to be a celebration of getting to a major finals for the first time since 1998, will now be a dead rubber.
Strachan made a few bold calls in his starting line-up, one of them being leaving the talisman of this campaign, Shaun Maloney, on the bench. There Maloney found Crystal Palace regular and goalscorer against Germany, James McArthur, for company.
It was said by Strachan pre-match that Darren Fletcher wasn’t in the squad just as a cheerleader, and he was true to his word by giving the West Brom man a rare start.
The talk through the week had all been about how Scotland would snuff out the threat of 12 goals in four games Lewandowski.
They managed to do it for all of two minutes and 20 seconds.
The Bayern Munich man, top scorer in the qualifiers, is in lethal form but the Scottish defending to allow him in behind them so easily was awful.
There was a possibility of offside as Lewandowski was allowed a free run in on goal, with Russell Martin the nearest man to him, but it was a needless and misguided strategy so early in the match. David Marshall didn’t cover himself in glory either with his attempted save at the near post, and it was 1-0.
Whatever the gameplan was, it wasn’t this, and the hosts were reeling.
To put it bluntly, the centre-backs look petrified by the mere presence of Lewandowksi. Typical of the panic that had spread was Grant Hanley letting a hopeful punt up the pitch bounce, and Poland’s captain was nearly in again.
In the rare moments that Scotland got forward the delivery from both flanks Matt Ritchie on the right and James Forrest on the left wasn’t of a high enough standard to overly trouble the Poles.
The match had the feel of an away one both in terms of Scotland’s timidity on the pitch and the vibrant noise and colour brought to Hampden by possibly as many as 10,000 visiting fans.
They were nearly celebrating again on 29 minutes when a move that flowed from left to right through Lewandowski ended up with Jakub Blaszczykowski dragging a shot wide.
It said everything about the way the match was panning out as half-time loomed that the Scots’ best chance had come from a 25-yard free-kick.
Matt Ritchie drilled it low into the wall, and the ball broke kindly for Hanley who scuffed his shot into the ground. No doubt to Hanley’s great relief, the assistant referee had flagged for offside.
The story of the first half was re-written with the last kick of it though, as Ritchie lashed a spectacular left footer past a helpless Lukasz Fabianski.
Bournemouth’s wideman made the headlines with a goal of the season contender against Sunderland a few months ago, and here was another.
It was now a different contest and Scotland were a different team.
They were first to threaten after the re-start when left-back Steven Whittaker curled a right foot cross to the back post for Steven Naismith, but the Everton man was unable to finish it off.
And, in a scenario that looked like fantasy a short while before, Scotland were in front on 62 minutes.
It was another special goal.
Polish possession was broken up in midfield, Darren Fletcher fed the ball forward to Ritchie, and he rolled it into the path of Steven Fletcher who curled a left foot shot on the angle past a full-stretch Fabianski.
The Sunderland man should have made it 3-1 a few minutes later but his downward header from near the penalty spot was directed straight at the keeper.
Poland understandably rediscovered some urgency and Marshall did well to beat away a long range effort from Grzegorz Krychowiak.
There was an even better chance on 80 minutes for Lukasz Piszczek, who blazed over the bar from 12 yards out.
Then, with two minutes left Kamil Grosicki couldn’t keep a glancing header on target.
The match wasn’t over yet though. Deep into stoppage time Poland won a free-kick 30 yards out which found its way on to the post.
All that was left for Lewandowski was a tap-in, and all that was left for Scotland was utter despair.
Scotland – Marshall, Hutton, Whittaker, R Martin, Hanley, Forrest (Dorrans 84), D Fletcher (McArthur 74), Brown, S Fletcher, Naismith (Maloney 69), Ritchie. Subs not used – Gordon, McGregor, Robertson, Greer, Berra, Russell, Griffiths, C Martin, Rhodes.
Poland – Fabiaski, Glik, Piszczek, Pazdan, Mczyski, Krychowiak, Grosicki, Rybus (Wawrzyniak 71), Baszczykowski (Olkowski 83), Milik (Jodowiec 62), Lewandowski. Subs not used – Szczsny, Boruc, Cionek, Jdrzejczyk, Szukaa, Linetty, Mila, Borysiuk, Sobiech.
Referee Viktor Kassai (Hungary).