Scotland boosted their hopes of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar with a memorable 2-0 win over group-winners Denmark on Monday evening.
The Danes had won all nine of their qualifiers and already booked their place in Qatar ahead of the clash at Hampden Park, but it was Steve Clarke’s side who were on the front foot from the outset. The Scots were seeking a sixth successive victory and deservedly found the breakthrough 10 minutes before half-time when a well-worked corner saw Liam Cooper nod the ball back for John Souttar to head home from close range. Denmark struggled to conjure up any clear-cut openings, with Andreas Cornelius coming closest from a header smartly saved by Craig Gordon – although the flag later went up for an earlier offside.
Twitter sets date for shareholders to vote on Elon Musk’s $44bn takeover offer
The visitors pressed for an equaliser in the second half but could not find a way through a resilient Scotland defence. Andreas Skov Olsen tested Gordon in the 83rd minute as his low shot was parried away, then substitute Mikael Uhre failed to make proper contact with the ball when it bounced down in front of him inside the Scotland box, his effort gathered by Scotland’s No1.
Scotland’s three points were sealed moments later when Che Adams was played through by Southampton teammate Stuart Armstrong and the Saints striker swept home beyond the despairing dive of Kasper Schmeichel. The victory means Scotland will now be seeded for the World Cup play-offs next March, and they will host their semi-final fixture.
