Scotland’s hopes of qualifying automatically for the 2026 World Cup remain alive despite a dramatic 3-2 defeat to Greece in a chaotic night of football. Thanks to Denmark’s unexpected draw with Belarus, Scotland now face a winner-takes-all showdown in Glasgow on Tuesday, where victory would seal top spot in the group.
The match in Greece was a whirlwind from start to finish. Scotland were second best for large spells, punished early when a defensive mix-up allowed the hosts to break through. Craig Gordon, returning in goal, produced several outstanding saves to prevent the deficit from growing, but Greece eventually found their rhythm and capitalised on Scotland’s defensive lapses.
Anastasios Bakasetas opened the scoring after Scotland failed to clear a long ball, and Gordon was soon called into action again to deny Christos Tzolis twice. Greece dominated the first half, while Scotland struggled to settle until late in the period when Scott McTominay struck the crossbar and Ché Adams squandered a clear chance.
The second half brought more trouble for Scotland. Andreas Tetteh sprinted down the flank to set up Konstantinos Karetsas, who curled in Greece’s second. Moments later, Tzolis unleashed a powerful strike from distance to make it 3-0, leaving Scotland shell-shocked and appearing destined for a heavy defeat.
But the visitors refused to fold. Ben Gannon-Doak fired in from John McGinn’s cross to spark life back into the contest, and soon after, Ryan Christie headed home Andy Robertson’s delivery to reduce the deficit to 3-2. The momentum shifted as news filtered through that Belarus had taken a shock lead over Denmark, sending the travelling Scotland supporters into euphoric celebration.
Greece were reduced to 10 men after Bakasetas received a second booking for pulling back Lewis Ferguson, offering Scotland further encouragement. Clarke threw on attacking reinforcements, switching to an ultra-aggressive setup in search of an equaliser. A late scramble in the box from another McGinn cross nearly produced the decisive touch, but Greece held on.
Despite the defeat, Scotland left the pitch knowing their fate remains in their own hands. A victory over Denmark at Hampden Park will be enough to secure a place at the 2026 World Cup—a remarkable scenario after a night of chaos, courage, and unpredictable twists.
