The subsequent hysteria inside Hampden Park as the ball hit the back of the net will live long in the memories of those who were there to witness it live, and many others who have relived it since via various social media channels.
But spare a thought for Schmeichel. In amongst the hullabaloo was the utterly crestfallen figure of the 39-year-old.
Though the game was almost up for the Danes by the time McLean had pounced on the loose ball ahead of delivering that coup-de-grace, had Schmeichel not gone walkabout, there was a possibility of one last chance for the visitors.
Unfortunately for him and for the Danes, that goal will be replayed time and time again, and it's just something the custodian will have to accept.
It is worth pondering on whether the veteran should've even been in the firing line at all, mind you.
Schmeichel long past his best?
There's understood to be a school of thought in Denmark that Schmeichel has long been past his best and perhaps hasn't been the right choice for the No.1 jersey for a while now.
However, Mads Hermansen lost his place within weeks of signing for West Ham, and Filip Jorgensen has had similar issues at Chelsea.
Not to mention Oliver Christensen (Sturm Graz) and Peter Vindahl Jensen's (Sparta Prague) relative lack of experience at the elite level, as well as Frederik Ronnow's retirement from the national team.
So do the numbers, in fact, bear out that Schmeichel is the best of an average bunch?
Poor in WC qualification
In terms of league play, what's interesting is that the Celtic man's save percentages of 77.1 in 2024/25 and 74.2 in 2025/26 are actually better than every season in which he starred for Leicester City.
The only seasons that have seen improvement since 2012/13 were 2022/23 with Nice (75.5%) and 2023/24 with Anderlecht (79.5%).
Whilst it's true that those numbers dipped significantly in WC qualification and Schmeichel posted just a 50% save percentage in six games, he did also manage to keep three clean sheets.
In the 2024 European Championship, he recorded a 75% save percentage, whilst 71.4% in the Nations League with four clean sheets in eight matches isn't too shabby either.
Just four games in 2025/26 for Hermansen
Hermansen was signed by the Hammers in the summer after he'd enjoyed a brilliant spell with Leicester City.
Straight into the starting XI in the season opener against newly-promoted Sunderland, the keeper was exposed time and again as the Irons lost 3-0 on Wearside.
Worse was to follow in the next game against Chelsea, where West Ham were defeated 5-1 at home. Only two more matches - a 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest and a 3-0 loss against Tottenham - were enough for the management to decide the Dane should be replaced, and he's been stuck on the bench ever since.
A 45% save percentage across those four matches is enough of an indicator that the 25-year-old probably isn't the right man for the national team job at this point either.
Even during Leicester's time in the Premier League, Hermansen could only raise his save percentage to 63.3%, with just one clean sheet from 27 appearances.
He hasn't appeared for the national team since playing for the U21 side in 2023, when he could at least boast a 77.8% record and three clean sheets from nine matches.
The inability to transfer that kind of form to club level of late has clearly hampered him, however.
Nervousness from Jorgensen
Jorgensen has also only played four club matches this season.
The Chelsea custodian was handed 85 minutes against Manchester Utd and 90 more a few days later in a Carabao Cup game against Lincoln City.
A 5-1 win against Ajax in the Champions League saw another full game for the 23-year-old, with his final 90 minutes coming at the end of October in a 4-3 win against Wolves.
As with Hermansen, a nervousness to his performances and a lack of dominance in his area, as well as the sheer number of goals shipped on his watch, is likely to be what's put paid to his chances.
The fact that his best save percentage return of 72.5% came way back in 2022/23 with Villarreal's B team speaks for itself.
Another who has predominantly spent time with the Danish U21s, Jorgensen's only senior national team appearance to date (vs Northern Ireland in June 2025) saw him earn a disappointing player rating of 6.4.
Ship has sailed for Sparta's Peter Vindahl Jensen
The ship might well have already sailed for Vindahl Jensen too.
In 16 games for Sparta Prague this season, he has only managed to keep four clean sheets, and his save percentage is a woeful 65.3%.
A significant improvement on those numbers (75.4%) came back in 2023/24 during his first season at the club, though his best numbers were recorded when he was still playing in the Danish Superliga with Nordsjaelland.
Just two appearances for the Denmark U21 side back in 2019 are all he has to show in terms of national team honours.
Christensen the one to watch?
Oliver Christensen might therefore actually be the one to watch.
The 26-year-old has steadily improved his numbers over the past few years, and his current 72.5% save percentage for Sturm Graz is actually his third-best showing in the past seven years.
Four clean sheets from 11 games is an acceptable return, though the national team selectors may feel that the Austrian Bundesliga isn't really the best platform in which to be testing yourself, with respect.
With no action for Denmark since a run with the U21s back in 2021, is he the right man to now be brought in from the cold?
Herein lie the selection difficulties that the Danes have ahead of them...
