Scotland strike late to beat Greece in frantic finish

Nick McPheat
BBC Sport Scotland at Hampden

Scotland took a significant step towards securing a World Cup play-off place as Lewis Ferguson's first international goal helped secure an unlikely comeback win over a dominant Greece at Hampden.

In a record-equalling 71st game for head coach Steve Clarke, the Scots were aiming to avenge the Nations League relegation inflicted on them by the classy Greeks at this stadium in March.

For over an hour, Clarke's men were timid and outplayed again by their visitors, who should have been at least three up by the time Roma left-back Kostas Tsimikas drilled in on the rebound just after the hour.

There were loud boos from the Tartan Army, but Ryan Christie quickly equalised in the aftermath of a corner - an effort which survived a lengthy VAR check - to stage a remarkable fightback.

And when Ferguson slashed in from close range after a scrappy free-kick with 10 minutes left, the disgruntlement among the home fans turned to euphoria as Clarke's resilient side went on to claim a priceless victory.

That was only amplified when Lyndon Dykes capitalised on calamitous goalkeeping from Konstantinos Tzolakis to smash in a third, just moments after Angus Gunn pulled off a stunning stoppage-time save to deny Konstantinos Karetsas.

If Scotland defeat bottom seeds Belarus on Sunday and Greece are defeated in Denmark, Clarke's men will be guaranteed one of the top two places in the group, ensuring at worst they will be in the play-offs for the finals next summer.

Analysis: Clarke's Scotland tenure in microcosm

Table

No-one has now managed Scotland's men in more matches than Clarke, and his 71st game tells the story of why fans have been polarised about his impact during his six years in charge.

For the majority of this qualifier, the Scots looked like they were playing with the handbrake on. They failed to have a shot on target in the first half.

Vangelis Pavlidis somehow failed to divert into an open goal from just yards out. The Benfica striker then had his head in his hands again just after the interval when he nodded over.

Giorgos Masouras flashed off target from close range soon after.

The mood at Hampden was bordering on toxic. But Scotland said no.

When they should have been at least three down, Clarke's players gritted their teeth and displayed the resilience that has taken them to two major tournaments under this head coach, scoring three goals from nowhere.

Three games down, three to go on the road to the United States, Canada and Mexico. Write these players and this head coach off at your peril.

What they said

'Results are what qualify you and these Scotland players understand that'

Scotland head coach Steve Clarke: "You have to understand how hard we worked out of possession. When they scored the goal, the shackles came off a bit and from there we finished the game strong.

"Football is a 90-minute game and you have to make sure you come out of it with a positive result. 3-1 maybe flatters us, but we did enough to win the game.

"It gives us three points and takes us one step closer to what we want to do. We have to win here and see what the situation is after that."

Scotland goalscorer Lewis Ferguson: "It means everything. Playing here in front of our home crowd, it's so important to pick up maximum points and we did that.

"This game means nothing if we don't win on Sunday. We'll recover and go again."

Scotland goalscorer Ryan Christie: "Massive win. We're not naive enough to know we weren't at our best. But the reaction to going 1-0 down was brilliant.

"Two massive games - that's one ticked off and now onto Sunday."

'Scotland so jammy, but it's looking great and we're taking it'

09/10/25

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Match stats

Lyndon Dykes graphic

  • Scotland have lost just one of their last 10 World Cup qualifiers (W8 D1 L1).

  • They have scored three goals at Hampden for the first time since a 3-3 draw with Norway in November 2023 - across those two games they have registered just five shots on target, scoring with all three here.

  • Dykes netted his 10th Scotland goal in his 45th appearance. He is the 25th different player to net more than 10 goals for the nation.

  • Scotland trailed for just two minutes and 16 seconds after Greece's goal, with Ryan Christie equalising with Scotland's first shot on target.

  • John McGinn made his 80th appearance for Scotland, moving him level with Darren Fletcher. Only Kenny Dalglish (102), Jim Leighton (91), Andy Robertson (87) and Craig Gordon (81) have made more.

  • After winning four consecutive matches between March and September, Greece have now lost back-to-back matches for the first time since September 2023. In World Cup qualifying, Greece have lost four of their last six (W1 D1).

  • Kostas Tsimikas netted his first goal for club or country in seven years and 156 days, since netting for Willem II against Vitesse in May 2018 in the Eredivisie.

What's next?

Scotland host bottom seeds Belarus at Hampden on Sunday at 17:00 BST - live on the BBC - before Greece kick off in Denmark (19:45).

Lewis Ferguson and Ryan Christie will both be suspended for that Glasgow encounter after picking up second yellow cards.

Player of the match

A. Gunn
8.16
1 A. Gunn
8.16
19 L. Ferguson
7.59
7 J. McGinn
7.55
9 L. Dykes
7.43
8 B. Gilmour
7.35
11 R. Christie
7.30
3 A. Robertson
7.16
5 G. Hanley
6.91
17 B. Gannon-Doak
6.73
15 J. Souttar
6.73
6 K. Tierney
6.72
2 A. Hickey
6.71
4 S. McTominay
6.52
22 A. Ralston
6.44
10 C. Adams
6.36
16 S. McKenna
6.18
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