Scotland Guaranteed World Cup Playoff After Denmark Defeat Greece
Denmark’s 3-1 victory over Greece ensures Scotland will finish at least second in Group C, securing a playoff to next year’s World Cup. Victory for the Danes promoted them to the summit of Group C on ten points, with a favourable goal difference. Steve Clarke’s side also sits on ten points in second place, seven ahead of Greece with two qualifiers to play. The insurmountable advantage offers some optimism for the Tartan Army, following a fairly abject showing against Belarus on Sunday evening. Steve Clarke admitted he was “really disappointed” in his side’s performance, acknowledging that they can operate on a much higher level than they showed. While the playoff has been secured, full attention will now turn to the final international break of the year. Scotland face a Greek side hungry for revenge following their 3-1 to Clarke’s side last week. The final group match could see a ‘winner takes all’ showdown between Scotland and Denmark at Hampden Park.
Scotland 2-1 Belarus: Scots Move Top of Group C After Tense Encounter
Scotland 2 – 1 Belarus Gilmour (15′) McTominay (84′) Kuchko (90+6′) A late Scott McTominay strike helped to edge Scotland past Belarus in a nervy qualification tie at Hampden Park. Belarus subdued the Hampden crowd after a bright start. German Barkovski beat the offside trap, but his flashed ball had no takers, with Scotland defending the resulting corner. Pavel Zabelin’s powerful header narrowly missed as the visitors continued to grow into the game. Steve Clarke’s team looked disjointed but started to find a rhythm after ten minutes. Che Adams cut his shot wide after a Billy Gilmour through ball, as they searched for an opening goal That goal arrived in the 15th minute. Jack Hendry found Adams in the box, who showed composure to turn and drill a left-footed strike into the bottom corner. A VAR check confirmed the goal to stand, allowing Hampden to breathe a collective sigh of relief. Ben Gannon-Doak impressed against Belarus last month and had started his latest appearance in a similar fashion. He beat Zabelin with a stepover in the 20th minute, but found the side netting when he perhaps should have squared to the onrushing John McGinn. Yevgeny Malashevich blazed high over Angus Gunn’s bar as the Belarusians looked to reply to the Scottish pressure. Gannon-Doak continued to torment Zabelin after 27 minutes, but his cutback to Scott McTominay was nullified by the visiting defence. VAR moved off a penalty shout after a flowing Scottish move, as the home side looked for a second goal. With only a slender advantage, Clark would be keen for his side to build on Adams’ left-footed strike. Gannon-Doak tested Fedor Lapoukhov with a stinging strike on the stroke of halftime, continuing as Scotland’s bright spark in a flat opening period. The homeside started the second half with endeavour. Kenny McLean scuffed a shot wide, and Scott McTominay stung Lapoukhov’s palms as the hunt for the second goal continued. Gannon-Doak drove at the Belarus defence in the 53rd minute, squaring for McGinn whose rasping shot was pushed wide by Lapoukhov. Referee Marian Barbu had two massive refereeing calls shortly after the hour mark. First, he denied the home side a penalty, waving away claims after an apparent handball by Adams in the box. Moments later, he disallowed a Belarus goal, ruling that McTominay had been fouled in the build-up. The second incident, in particular, served as a harsh reality check for Steve Clarke’s side. Despite their lead, the initial ‘goal’ signalled they would need to solidify their performance to secure all three points. Adams bundled a Gannon-Doak cross into the net after 70 minutes, but VAR was once again forced to intervene as the striker had taken up an offside position. Belarus, buoyed by their disallowed goal, grew into the game, to the disdain of the home support. The visitors had conceded 13 goals in their opening 3 qualifying games, but were making matters awkward for Scotland. A welcome second goal arrived in the 84th minute. Andy Robertson’s left-footed cross found its way to McTominay in the six-yard box, who finished clinically into the right corner. A subdued celebration by the Napoli talisman signified the frustration of this Scottish performance. They had made this tie far more difficult than it should have been. Belarus pulled a goal back in stoppage time, substitute Gleb Kuchko beat Robertson to the ball and drilled under Gunn, creating a nervy ending at Hampden Park. The full-time whistle temporarily moved Scotland to the top of Group C. Victory for Denmark this evening will confirm a World Cup playoff, but for Steve Clarke, all focus will turn to an away encounter in Greece next month. Scotland: Gunn 6 Ralston 6 Hendry 6 McKenna 6 Robertson 5 Gannon-Doak 7 McLean 6 Gilmour 7 McGinn 6 McTominay 6 Adams 7 Substitutes: Tierney 5 Souttar 5 Miller Dykes Bowie Belarus: Lapoukhov 7 Pigas 6 Parkhomenko 6 Martynovich 6 Zabelin 6 Malashevich 6 Ebonh 6 Yablonski 6 Pechenin 6 Gromyko 6 Barkovski 7 Substitutes: Melnichenko 5 Korzun Kuchko Karpovich Demchenko
Scotland Continue World Cup Journey against Belarus
Scotland welcome Belarus to Hampden Park tonight, aiming to take the next step towards a maiden World Cup appearance in 27 years. Steve Clarke’s men are level on points with Denmark at the top of Group C, and could clinch a playoff spot if both sides record victories this evening. Scotland has two wins and a draw in the opening three group matches, building on their September performances with a 3-1 win over Greece at Hampden Park on Thursday night. Despite a dominant Greek performance, goals from Ryan Christie, Lewis Ferguson, and Lyndon Dykes secured an unlikely three points, sending Hampden into raptures. Landmark for Clarke Sunday’s clash with Belarus will mark Steve Clarke’s 72nd game in charge of Scotland, surpassing the record set by Craig Brown. Clarke spoke about his time in charge so far. “The brief was to qualify for tournaments. “We’ve done that twice and we want to do it again because we’re all greedy. We’ve put together a strong nucleus that we’ve managed to build upon. That’s what creates the environment because they know each other – and good results help. I’ve got a lot of players I’ve always trusted and have never let me down. It’s that familiarity, but that doesn’t come if you’re not successful because I’d have been out the door if we weren’t.” Belarus Scotland’s opponents, Belarus, sit at the bottom of Group C. Belarus are winless in all three matches of their qualifying campaign so far; they have suffered four straight defeats in a row. Last time out, Belarus fell to their second-biggest loss in the country’s history on Thursday when Denmark ran out 6-0 winners. Team News Full-back Aaron Hickey sustained a knock during Thursday’s match, and Steve Clarke has confirmed he’ll miss out. Midfield duo Lewis Ferguson and Ryan Christie will also sit this one out due to suspension; the pair both picked up bookings on Thursday. Steve Clarke was quick to add reinforcements to his squad to replace those two. Josh Mulligan of Hibs was handed his first international call-up, whilst Rangers midfielder Connor Barron also earned a call-up.
