Glasgow: Scotland ended a 26-year wait for a World Cup berth in the most dramatic fashion imaginable, scoring twice in stoppage time to beat Denmark 4-2 on a thunderous night at Hampden Park and seal their place at the 2026 finals.
What had been a hair-raising qualifying campaign delivered its wildest twist at the death, sending the stadium into scenes of delirium not seen in Glasgow for decades.
With the score locked at 2-2 and 10-man Denmark seemingly poised to clinch the point they needed to win Group C, substitute Kieran Tierney stepped up in the third minute of stoppage time. When the ball broke to him on the edge of the box, he looked up and curled a sublime left-footed finish past a diving Kasper Schmeichel, sparking an eruption in the stands and on the touchline.
But the madness was not done. As Denmark pushed everyone forward in desperation and Schmeichel roamed far from his goal, Kenny McLean launched an audacious shot from the halfway line that sailed into the empty net, confirming Scotland’s spot at next year’s North American showpiece.
For the Danes – who only needed to avoid defeat to reach a third consecutive World Cup – the collapse was brutal. After taking just one point from their final two qualifiers, including a home draw with Belarus, they surrendered control of the group at the last moment.
Scotland, meanwhile, had begun the night with a dream strike in only the third minute, when Scott McTominay produced a moment for the ages. Meeting a Ben Gannon-Doak cross, he contorted himself to fire an overhead kick past Schmeichel – a goal that would have instantly entered national folklore had the evening not descended into an even wilder spectacle. By full-time, it was all a blur in a whirl of sporting chaos and unrestrained celebration.
Spain also qualify after tense 2-2 draw with Turkey
Elsewhere, Spain secured qualification by topping Group E despite being pushed to the brink in a nervy 2-2 draw against Turkey in Seville. The European champions began brightly, taking a fourth-minute lead through Dani Olmo after Marc Cucurella’s low cross was cleverly dummied by Fabián Ruiz. Olmo twice forced Altay Bayindir into sharp saves soon after as Spain threatened to run away with it.
But Turkey – needing an implausible seven-goal win to claim the group – refused to fold. They equalised in the 42nd minute when Baris Alper Yilmaz muscled Aymeric Laporte aside to flick on a corner, allowing Deniz Gul to ghost through and slide in Turkey’s first goal conceded by Spain in the qualifiers. Eight minutes after the interval, the visitors stunned the home crowd as Salih Ozcan’s crisp strike from the edge of the box put them 2-1 up.
Spain avoided their first home qualifying defeat in years thanks to Mikel Oyarzabal, who levelled in the 62nd minute to secure the point La Roja needed. Turkey will now head into the playoffs seeking their route to the 2026 finals.
(IANS)
