Scotland have it all to do again to make it to World Cup as awful Greece showing kills all momentum
Scotland tend not to do things the easy way. Get set for another nerve-wracking World Cup qualification campaign.
This two-legged affair determined which side would go into the second tier of the Nations League and who would stay in the top set of groups.
Of greater importance than Scotland’s Nations League placing, though, is what these games have told them about their chances of World Cup qualification, given they just so happen to have been drawn alongside Greece in Group C of the UEFA qualification campaign.
Belarus and either Portugal or Denmark – depending on their result against one another on Sunday night – will join the Scots in that group, with the winners heading straight to the World Cup while the runners-up get a second chance to be one of four sides who qualify via the play-offs.
Victory in Piraeus courtesy of Scott McTominay’s penalty represented more than just a positive omen. That result made it three wins in a row for Scotland after impressive victories over Croatia and away to Poland, hot on the heels of a respectable goalless draw against Portugal.
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True to that form, Scotland made a bright start at Hampden – only to fail to make the most of it and go behind against the run of play on 20 minutes as Giannis Konstantelias swept home a cutback at the end of an overload up the Scotland left. It was Greece’s first shot of the game.
That left Scotland boss Steve Clarke with the furrowed brow of a Tal Shiar operative who has just detected Federation deception.
You could understand his frustration. Scotland have not won by more than a single goal since 2023 aside from a 2-0 pre-Euros friendly victory over minnows Gibraltar, and now their lack of firepower was costing them again.
The pace and intensity with which Scotland approached the first quarter of the game abandoned them, giving way to hopeful, hopeless long balls, constant poor touches and overhit passes from the players Clarke was most reliant on to provide moments of quality – Andy Robertson, Billy Gilmore, Ryan Christie, Che Adams, Scott McTominay, John McGinn.
That only got worse after Konstantinos Karetsas made it 2-0 shortly before half time – two shots on target, two goals for Greece – and the Glasgow crowd made their feelings clear on the interval, sending their side off to a chorus of boos. Within seconds of the restart, it was 3-0.
It doesn’t take long for momentum to be lost in football. Clarke now has it all to do again to gee his side up to find form again as they aim to make it to North America.
