It was a Houdini act for the ages from Steve Clarke’s team and it now looks as if it’s finally happening
Lyndon Dykes celebrates scoring Scotland’s third goal(Image: SNS Group)
It’s happening isn’t it? At long last – and after nearly three decades – Scotland are heading to the next World Cup.
What went on at Hampden Park last night, when Steve Clarke’s side pulled off perhaps the most ill-deserved win of his record-equalling 71-game tenure, has to be a sign the nation’s luck has finally changed.
This was a night when the manager probably picked the wrong team and got his tactics wrong into the bargain.
A contest in which his team hardly swung a meaningful punch.
And yet, just when it seemed all hope had left the building, Clarke and his players conjured a Houdini act to turn it all around in jaw-dropping fashion.
From nowhere, Ryan Christie pulled Scotland level within a couple of minutes of the Greeks going in front.
Lewis Ferguson then smashed home the goal that turned it all on its head.
And sub Lyndon Dykes put it all beyond doubt in injury time, having been gifted the goal by a Greek goalkeeping blunder of almost tragic proportions.
Lyndon Dykes celebrates scoring Scotland’s third goal(Image: PA)
It was all so unexpectedly glorious the Tartan Army could not contain their glee.
Before the joyous madness could get started Clarke did what he always seems to do – he threw in one of his trademark curveball selections by leaving Billy Gilmour out of the starting XI.
Also, he deployed Christie in Gilmour’s position at the heart of midfield in a move not even the Bournemouth man saw coming just a couple of days earlier, when he admitted a switch of position had never even entered into his conversations with the boss.
He did find a position for Ben Gannon-Doak this time though. And that represented a statement of Scotland’s intent to get at the Greeks from wide areas.
With Che Adams leading the line and Scott McTominay roaming around behind the striker, Clarke was effectively throwing down the gauntlet in the hope of picking up another three points as well as potentially landing a haymaker on a Greece side still reeling from a home defeat against the Danes.
The plan for Gannon Doak became obvious straight from kick-off when half of Clarke’s team took up position on the right flank as part of a decoy move straight off the training ground.
Rather than shell a high ball down that side, John McGinn scurried off with the ball in the other direction and shuttled into the youngster’s feet.
A heavy touch prevented Gannon-Doak making the most of it but, even so, the youngster’s importance had been emphasised in the opening seconds.
What followed though was a bit too sticky and included an extraordinary moment when Benfica striker Vangelis Pavlidis failed to help himself to a tap-in, just a yard out from Angus Gunn’s open goal.
The Greeks looked ominously comfortable and dangerous in possession as Clarke’s players struggled to settle into any kind of stride.
The longer it went on it was positively crying out for Gilmour’s ring craft and composure on the ball in the middle of the pitch, which made his omission seem even more glaring and curious.
Clarke doubled down during the interval by sending the same team back out for the second half.
It was all starting to feel like sheer stubbornness and it could have got worse in the opening seconds had Pavlidis not let Scotland off the hook again, heading another big chance over the top from six yards.
With Hampden growling, Clarke and his players were straying into dangerous territory.
Then, another near thing when Giorgos Masouras slashed at a shot inside the box after the Greeks had waltzed through Scotland’s midfield and back line.
No sooner was Clarke forced into activity when Aaron Hickey’s heavily strapped left leg gave way.
Clarke turned to his bench and Anthony Ralston, while also finally telling Gilmour to get stripped.
That he opted to sub off Gannon Doak did little to lift a darkening mood. Christie took over on the left flank to make room for Gilmour in the centre of midfield but the pattern of play remained unchanged, the visitors completely dominant.
So when the goal arrived in 61 minutes it came as no surprise.
Greece probed and passed their way around dark blue shirts with contemptuous ease and when Pavlidis had another effort charged down Konstantinos Tsimikas crashed home on the rebound.
What came next almost defied belief. After more than an hour of not troubling the Greek goal, Scotland levelled within three minutes when Christie popped up in the box to find the back of the net.
Ryan Christie of Scotland celebrates scoring to make it 1-1
Gilmour then carved out an opportunity for Adams with a sumptuous free-kick but the striker’s shot was deflected wide.
Something was brewing now. Again, Gilmour sprayed a 50-yard pass to the edge of the Greek box where Tsimikas thudded an elbow into Ferguson’s face.
Robertson stood over the free- kick, teased it into the danger area and when it dropped at Ferguson’s feet it was smashed into the roof.
Then Dykes walked onto a sitter when the keeper slapped the ball into his path in a brainmelt moment.
And you know what? When even Lady Luck is wearing a dark blue shirt it begins to feel as if fate might be playing for Scotland too.