In a night of high drama that stretched from Piraeus to Copenhagen, Scotland's national football team experienced a rollercoaster of emotions during their World Cup qualifying campaign. Despite suffering a 3-2 defeat against Greece, Steve Clarke's side discovered their automatic qualification hopes remained intact following an astonishing result elsewhere in Group C.
Greek Drama Unfolds in Piraeus
The match in Greece began disastrously for the Scots, who found themselves trailing 3-0 by the 63rd minute after goals from Tasos Bakasetas, Konstantinos Karetsas and Christos Tzolis. Craig Gordon, making a record-breaking appearance as the oldest European to play in a World Cup qualifier at nearly 43 years old, produced numerous impressive saves but could not prevent the Greek onslaught.
Scotland's performance improved significantly after the break, with Ben Gannon-Doak converting John McGinn's low cross in the 65th minute to begin the comeback attempt. Ryan Christie then headed home Andy Robertson's cross in the 70th minute to bring the score to 3-2, setting up a frantic final twenty minutes where Scotland pressed relentlessly for an equaliser.
Danish Collapse Changes Everything
As the match in Greece reached its conclusion, attention turned to events in Copenhagen where Denmark had been leading Belarus. In a stunning three-minute second-half turnaround, Belarus scored twice to secure a 2-2 draw, a result that sent Scotland's travelling supporters - the Tartan Army - into celebrations despite their own team's defeat.
The Danish collapse means Scotland now face a winner-takes-all encounter against Denmark at Hampden on Tuesday, with victory securing automatic qualification for the World Cup. A defeat would consign Scotland to the play-offs.
Night of Records and Near Misses
Beyond the dramatic scorelines, the match featured several notable moments. Gordon's appearance broke a long-standing record previously held by Sir Stanley Matthews and more recently by Andorra's Marc Pujol. Scotland also hit the woodwork through Scott McTominay and missed several golden opportunities, including chances for Che Adams and Christie that could have secured a draw.
The match concluded with Greece down to ten men after Bakasetas received a second yellow card, but Scotland couldn't find the crucial equaliser despite intense late pressure. Nevertheless, the combination of results means Scotland's destiny remains in their own hands as they prepare for what promises to be an electrifying encounter at Hampden Park.
