Captain Andy Robertson was the hero for Scotland as they scored a half-time winner in a 2-1 win over Poland that saved them from going out of the Nations League.
Scotland knew it was win or lose in Warsaw as they looked for back-to-back wins to at least finish third in Group A1 and qualify for the play-offs.
John McGinn started first after his crucial goal against Croatia and he sent the Tartan Army on the move after just three minutes when he smashed the ball into Ben Doak’s one-time pass.
Scotland’s John McGinn celebrates with his teammates after scoring to make it 1-0.
Billy Gilmour and Scott McTominay then hit the woodwork and Craig Gordon pulled off some excellent saves to give Steve Clarke’s side hope at the break.
Kamil Piatkowski’s stunning strike equalized for Poland, but Robertson’s late strike saved Scotland’s heart and they now face a setback. playoffs in March to retain their place in the top group of the Nations League, while Michal Probyers’ Poland side were relegated.
Scotland survived the Warsaw drama
Back-to-back wins keep Scotland’s Nations League Group A hopes alive
Scotland missed out on second place after Croatia got the point they needed in a 1-1 draw at home to Portugal, but the win also boosted Clarke’s men’s chances of reaching the second pot of next month’s World Cup qualifiers.
Scotland will be looking to either Georgia or Estonia to get some results against the Czech Republic and Slovakia respectively on Tuesday.
McGinn came into the Scotland squad with Lyndon Dykes after scoring the only goal against Croatia on Friday and Gordon began to shake off the virus.
The opening moments were a sign of things to come.There was a scare for Scotland in the 60 seconds before Robertson made the crucial cover.
Gilmour’s neat pass soon gave Doak the chance to set up McGinn, who slotted home with his right foot.
Ben Doak shone for Scotland in Warsaw
Doak was everywhere in the opening stages, making tackles in his own half and beating his man before hitting another dangerous ball.
The hosts soon began to create a number of chances, with Gordon saving Jakub Kaminski, Karol Swiderski, who also missed a save, and Sebastian Szymanski stopping a weak effort.
Doak struck on the break under home pressure before Scotland settled and began to turn the ball over with confidence and purpose.
Chances followed. Dykes’ shot hit the side-netting, Gilmour almost hit the bar from 30 yards and Doak cleared McTominay but the Napoli man was denied by a superb save.
McTominay then hit the post before Robertson’s shot was deflected wide and Gordon and John Souttar came to Scotland’s rescue at the other end.
Scotland trailed Croatia 1-0 on goals scored against Portugal in Split at half-time.
Poland’s Kamil Piatkowski celebrates after scoring to make it 1-1 against Scotland.
The second half started exactly the same way. Souttar cleared the line before McGinn’s cross was deflected wide of the post and the Scotland men lined up in the six-yard box.McTominay soon fired over another decent chance.
Poland got back on the front foot and eventually created a shooting opportunity as Scotland defended their box with numbers and Piatkowski sent an unstoppable shot into the top corner.
Scotland were back at the bottom of the table but still needed a goal to move up to second and Dykes looked to have done so when he headed Gilmour’s cross into the top corner, but Lukasz Skorupski pounced and deflected the ball wide.
News of an equalizer against Croatia was another blow to Scotland manager Clarke, but Scotland had half chances, Ryan Christie’s header saved and Kenny McLean’s header before the captain had the last word to the delight of his team-mates and the traveling fans.
What does the win mean for Scotland?
Scotland confirmed third place in Group A1 and will now play a two-legged play-off against the B League runners-up in March to decide who will play in Nations League Group A at the next tournament.
The two confirmed potential opponents are Greece and Austria, with the other two to be decided after Tuesday’s games.
The play-off draw will take place on Friday, with the games scheduled for March 20 and 23. Scotland will play the second leg at Hampden Park.
Clarke’s side are also set to appear in Pot 3 for the World Cup qualifiers, which begin next summer.
They will move up to pot 2 if the Czech Republic loses to Georgia or Slovakia loses to Estonia. both will play on Tuesday.
