A Norwegian television reporter cleared his throat and in apologetic tone spoke to Chris Iwelumo: "I'm sorry, but I need to ask you about it". "IT." Like the Stephen King novel only more horrific. "It" occurred in the 64th minute, when the Scotland striker somehow contrived to put the ball wide of the post from two yards out. "It" will follow him around for the rest of his career.

Afterwards, someone asked Iwelumo's team-mate, James McFadden, how a professional footballer could miss such a chance. McFadden sort of shrugged and half-smiled in sympathy. In truth, it was beyond analysis. It was one of those inexplicable moments when a professional sportsman is reduced to the level of the absolute duffer. If Iwelumo has missed that chance at the Pitz on a Saturday morning he would have been slaughtered by his team-mates and forced to buy the first round in the bar afterwards.

Gordon Smith, the Scottish Football Association's chief executive, is remembered for a famous miss while playing for Brighton against Manchester United in the 1983 FA Cup final. "And Smith must score", chirupped the excitable commentator, but Smith did not, although he had opened the scoring for Brighton that day. In the pantheon of memorable misses, Smith's does not rank very high at all. Iwelumo's does. "That was Van Vossen-esque," reflected one Tartan Army foot-soldier, in reference to the hapless Dutchman who scooped the ball over the bar for Rangers in an Old Firm game in 1996. Significantly, though, Rangers went on to win that game. Iwelumo could draw no such similar comfort.

At half time, John Gordon Sinclair appeared on the pitch to re-record We Have a Dream', Scotland's World Cup 82 anthem, with all proceeds going to the Children in Need charity. JGS gambolled on to the turf with a retro Scotland strip on and whipped the masses into a frenzy. "I've waited 40 years to stand here," bellowed the Scottish actor, as he took his place in the Hampden centre circle. Well, if JGS has waited his whole life to be there, then Iwelumo had whiled away his first 30 years dreaming of that one moment. His Scotland debut. A full Hampden Park. Two yards out. An open goal. In his dreams, he would have tapped home and reeled away in ecstasy. Maybe he was already thinking such thoughts as Gary Naysmith's low centre came to him.

On occasions like these, when the result proves disappointing and there is a ready-made scapegoat, there are a couple of certainties as a journalist. The first is that the players would rather scurry off like mice into holes in the skirting board than have dictaphones wafted under their nose. The second is that the aforementioned scapegoat will be the first to vanish. Neither of these things happened on Saturday. Firstly, Scotland players presented themselves to the media in their droves. Secondly, the scapegoat was at the front of the queue.

Scott Brown was asked how bitterly disappointed he was with not winning. "Disappointed? I'm not disappointed." Brown was correct. The Scotland players had no right to be disappointed. On the balance of play and chances created, they did not deserve to win. A draw was a fair result, though some may argue even that flattered them. Their readiness to fulfil media duties was a tacit acknowledgement of that.

Iwelumo (aka the scapegoat') remains an unknown quantity in Scotland, but we learned much about his character after this game. Iwelumo spoke to everyone afterwards - broadcast media, daily and Sunday newspapers, apologetic Norwegian TV crews, the tea lady . . . well, not quite. The Wolves striker re-lived the moment dozens of times as he chatted to all and sundry. It was almost as if discussing it was a form of therapy. Iwelumo was straightforward and matter-of-fact. "These things happen in football," he mused. "You just have to take it on the chin," he reflected. The 30-year-old was disappointed without being disconsolate. He rued his mistake without indulging in self-flagellation. It was impressive stuff.

Iwelumo's character has been formed by a peripatetic career spanning 14 years and four countries. He is a single-minded type who left St Mirren to sign for Danish Superleague side Aarhus as a youngster. Most Scottish footballers develop home-sickness whenever they stray anywhere south of Carlisle but Iwelumo survived and flourished in Denmark, then England, punctuated by a short but memorable spell in Germany. Aged 30, he has spent 90% of his career outside Scotland and developed into a player, and an individual, of considerable substance.

After his transgression, the towering striker stuck manfully to his task. He won virtually every high ball and linked up well with Steven Fletcher. Some will joke that Iwelumo won two Scotland caps on Saturday - his first and last. He might now be expected to skulk off into the shadows and never pull on a Scotland shirt again. The striker would not entertain such talk. "Hopefully when the next squad is announced my name will be in it, I'll come back and show people what I can do and that I enjoy hitting the back of the net on a regular basis." If his scoring continues for Wolves then he will be back in Burley's squad. In a team full of Lilliputians, Scotland needs someone to win headers and provide a physical presence in attack.

Hampden was in a state of shock in the aftermath of his miss. It was as if the stadium, and the entire country, was suspended in disbelief. The big screen operators didn't exactly help, replaying the incident several times as play raged on.

"I'm going upstairs to see my daughter now and that will cheer me up," said Iwelumo. "Family is the most important thing to me, I have two beautiful girls and the older one was here today. When I go upstairs, I'll switch off and have a bit of time to myself."

It's only a game. "It" was only a miss.