Scotland's World Cup qualifying hopes took a major hit in Greece, as the team succumbed to a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Steve Clarke's men. The loss is a significant blow to Scotland's chances of securing automatic qualification for next summer's tournament.
The match was a thrilling five-goal thriller that saw Greece come from behind twice to take the lead. A goal from Alexandros Djimmas in the 45th minute put Greece ahead, but Kieran McLean levelled the score just before halftime. However, Greece regained their advantage through substitute Konstantinos Mitogiannis' strike.
Scotland quickly equalised though, with goals from Lyndon Dykes and Kieran McLean making it 2-2 at the interval. But in the second half, the Greeks had the last laugh with Djimmas scoring his second goal of the match to seal the win for Greece.
Despite this setback, Scotland still maintain their hopes of automatic qualification due to Denmark's recent draw against Belarus, which has put pressure on other teams in their group. However, the margin of error is getting smaller and it will be crucial for Clarke's side to bounce back quickly if they are to salvage what remains of their qualifying campaign.
For Clarke, this result was a sobering reminder that his team still have a long way to go if they hope to reach the World Cup finals next summer. Scotland now face an uphill battle to secure qualification and will need to regroup and refocus in order to get back on track.
The match was a thrilling five-goal thriller that saw Greece come from behind twice to take the lead. A goal from Alexandros Djimmas in the 45th minute put Greece ahead, but Kieran McLean levelled the score just before halftime. However, Greece regained their advantage through substitute Konstantinos Mitogiannis' strike.
Scotland quickly equalised though, with goals from Lyndon Dykes and Kieran McLean making it 2-2 at the interval. But in the second half, the Greeks had the last laugh with Djimmas scoring his second goal of the match to seal the win for Greece.
Despite this setback, Scotland still maintain their hopes of automatic qualification due to Denmark's recent draw against Belarus, which has put pressure on other teams in their group. However, the margin of error is getting smaller and it will be crucial for Clarke's side to bounce back quickly if they are to salvage what remains of their qualifying campaign.
For Clarke, this result was a sobering reminder that his team still have a long way to go if they hope to reach the World Cup finals next summer. Scotland now face an uphill battle to secure qualification and will need to regroup and refocus in order to get back on track.