Scotland on Sunday ground out a 2-1 home win over Belarus to stay in contention for automatic qualification to the FIFA 2026 World Cup, while the Netherlands closed in on securing their berth at the tournament with a win over Finland.
Steve Clarke’s Scotland sit joint top of Group C with Denmark, after the Danes beat Greece 3-1 with Rasmus Hojlund opening the scoring for the home team.
Denmark are first in the pool on goal difference, but their win in Copenhagen ensured Scotland of at least a playoff spot as they bid to make a first World Cup appearance since 1998.
Photo: AFP
The pool-toppers meet in the final qualification matchday on Nov. 18 in Glasgow, Scotland.
“We know every game from now until the end is so important,” Scott McTominay told BBC Scotland after defeating Belarus.
Che Adams scored the opener for the hosts on the quarter-hour at Hampden Park in an otherwise uninspiring performance by Scotland.
They thought they were due a penalty just shy of the hour for a succession of incidents in the Belarus box, including two calls for a foul and hand-ball shouts going both ways, but after a lengthy video assistant referee (VAR) review, the referee declined the home side’s appeals and awarded a free-kick out.
Scotland then had VAR to thank on 63 minutes when Evgeni Malashevich’s leveler was eventually disallowed for a foul in the build-up on SSC Napoli’s Italian Serie A winner McTominay.
In a busy sequence for the VAR officials, Adams put the ball into the Belarus net for a second time in the 70th minute, but video replays confirmed the original on-field decision that the Torino man was offside.
McTominay eventually managed to seal an important victory for Scotland as he lashed home with his left foot with six minutes remaining.
Belarus punished poor Scotland defending deep in injury time as Hleb Kuchko found the net, but it was too little, too late for the visitors as the Scots clung on to boos from their own fans.
Donyell Malen, Virgil van Dijk, Memphis Depay and Cody Gakpo all found the net as the Dutch maintained their three-point lead at the summit of Group G with a 4-0 defeat of Finland at the Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam.
Poland remain on the Netherlands’ heels following a 2-0 win in Lithuania.
Faroe Islands continued their excellent form in Group L as they stunned the Czech Republic in Torshavn, winning 2-1.
Croatia are three points ahead of the Czech Republic after an unconvincing 3-0 home win against Gibraltar.
In Group H, Cyprus won 4-0 in San Marino in the day’s first kick-off while Romania beat pool leaders Austria 1-0 courtesy of a 95th minute winner by Virgil Ghita.