Scotland are going to the World Cup!
Scotland 4 - 2 Denmark
A remarkable night in Glasgow.
Author | Sean M
Stadium | Hampden Park
A pair of injury time goals from Kieran Tierney and Kenny McLean handed Scotland a dramatic victory over Denmark and sealed their return to the World Cup for the first time since 1998.
Scott McTominay set the tone at Hampden Park with a superb bicycle kick after only three minutes, although Rasmus Hojlund soon pulled Denmark level to stall the early surge of optimism. Scotland needed all three points to finish top of Group C and claim an automatic place at the finals.
Lawrence Shankland and Patrick Dorgu exchanged goals after the break, but Tierney and McLean produced two remarkable late strikes that sent the home support into raptures as Scott Clarke’s side held their nerve.
A closer analysis of what happened
Inside three minutes, Scott McTominay rose astonishingly high to steer the ball beyond Kasper Schmeichel with an audacious overhead finish.
Hampden erupted, although the joy was tempered by the familiar worry that the breakthrough had come too soon for a team long accustomed to heartache.
Denmark, having squandered an unexpected point at home to Belarus on Saturday to set up this tense finale, pressed relentlessly for a response. Rasmus Hojlund delivered it from the penalty spot after Andy Robertson was penalised for a foul on Gustav Isaksen following a prolonged VAR check.
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Scotland, who have ridden their fair share of fortune across this turbulent qualifying run, were offered another reprieve when Rasmus Kristensen received a second yellow card for a relatively soft challenge.
The mood inside Hampden lifted again and the noise was unrestrained when Lawrence Shankland, on from the bench, prodded in his fourth goal for his country with just over 10 minutes of a fraught contest remaining. It felt like the moment to stay calm.
Yet the tension spiked once more when Patrick Dorgu swept in soon after, far too easily, to silence the home crowd. This is a squad who have endured setbacks for years, but they remained determined that tonight would not add to that catalogue.
Celtic’s Kieran Tierney then unleashed a stunning strike from distance three minutes into added time to turn a long-held dream into something tangible at last.
There was still room for one final flourish as Kenny McLean found the net from inside his own half, sealing Scotland’s passage to the World Cup in the most improbable fashion imaginable.
The outcome leaves Denmark, who began the day leading the group, facing the 16 team UEFA playoff as they look to secure one of four remaining places at next summer’s tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
