Scott McTominay scored a surprise aim as Scotland beat Denmark 4-2 to ship the Tartan Military to a primary World Cup finals since 1998.
McTominay netted a chic overhead kick contained in the opening 5 minutes to kick off what was an exhilarating night at Hampden Park for Steve Clarke’s aspect.
Rasmus Hojlund had levelled for Denmark from the penalty spot earlier than the guests had been decreased to 10 males Rasmus Kristensen obtained a second reserving.
Substitute Lawrence Shankland restored Scotland’s lead however once more they had been pegged again when Patrick Dorgu fired in with 9 minutes remaining.
Because the clock ticked into second-half stoppage time, Scotland’s World Cup hopes gave the impression to be fading. However Kieran Tierney despatched the stadium into raptures when he curled house earlier than Kenny McLean added a fourth with the final kick of the match to cap off one of many biggest nights in Scottish soccer historical past.
Fireworks welcomed the 2 groups onto the pitch moments earlier than kick-off. However it was McTominay who actually lit up Hampden Park when, after 4 minutes, he produced a spectacular acrobatic aim to ship the noise ranges inside an already raucous stadium into the stratosphere.
From Ben Gannon-Doak’s cross from the proper, the Napoli midfielder launched into an outrageous bicycle kick with the supply at head peak. The ball flew past the diving Kasper Schmeichel and into the nook of the web.
Gannon-Doak, a dwell wire out broad, then needed to be stretchered off earlier than McTominay’s membership teammate, Hojlund, noticed an effort dominated out.
The guests had been starting to pile on the strain, Hojund once more going shut with a header that skimmed narrowly over.
The Scottish defence was holding agency, that was till 10 minutes after the break when an Andy Robertson foul on Gustav Isaksen was adjudged to have been made contained in the field following a prolonged VAR examine.
Hojlund smashed the ensuing spot-kick house, sending Craig Gordon the mistaken manner, to offer Denmark the benefit in Group C.
It was a blow for Scotland, albeit one which had been coming. Nevertheless, the Tartan Military got a glimmer of hope on the hour when Kristensen obtained his marching orders for a second yellow card after a mushy coming along with John McGinn.
And their prayers had been answered courtesy of substitute Shankland when he turned in Lewis Ferguson’s whipped nook to revitalise the house help.
However the elation was short-lived, Dorgu firing within the equaliser for the 10-man guests simply 4 minutes later.
There was to be one ultimate twist on this enthralling Scottish saga, nonetheless. In stoppage time, the ball dropped on the sting of the Denmark field and up stepped Tierney to bend the ball into the far nook as the bottom erupted in jubilation.
The very foundations of Hampden Park had been then rocked when, with the final kick of the sport, McLean lobbed Schmeichel from the half-way line to finish a painful 28-year wait to achieve a males’s World Cup finals.
