Scotland's World Cup dreams took a significant hit last night as Steve Clarke's side suffered a crushing 3-2 defeat at the hands of Greece in Athens. The defeat has left Scotland facing an uncertain qualification fate, with Denmark holding Belarus to a 2-2 draw earlier on the same day.
Greece took control of the match early on, scoring twice in the first half through goals from Andreas Moritzis and Nikos Giannoulas. Scotland struggled to find their footing in the second period, but managed to pull two goals back through Steven Fletcher and a stunning solo effort from Callum Paterson.
However, Greece scored three late goals to seal the win and send Scotland crashing out of the World Cup qualifying campaign. The defeat is a significant blow to Clarke's men, who had been looking to secure automatic qualification for next summer's tournament.
Despite this setback, Scotland still hold hope of qualification after Denmark was held to a 2-2 draw by Belarus earlier in the day. However, with only one game left for Scotland, the pressure is now on to secure a positive result against Cyprus in their final qualifying match.
The defeat has sparked debate among Scottish football fans, with many calling for Clarke to step down as manager after the disastrous campaign. However, Clarke has remained defiant, insisting that he will not be swayed by the criticism and remains committed to guiding his team to qualification.
For Scotland, the World Cup is now a distant dream, but the question on everyone's lips is: can they still salvage what's left of their season?
Greece took control of the match early on, scoring twice in the first half through goals from Andreas Moritzis and Nikos Giannoulas. Scotland struggled to find their footing in the second period, but managed to pull two goals back through Steven Fletcher and a stunning solo effort from Callum Paterson.
However, Greece scored three late goals to seal the win and send Scotland crashing out of the World Cup qualifying campaign. The defeat is a significant blow to Clarke's men, who had been looking to secure automatic qualification for next summer's tournament.
Despite this setback, Scotland still hold hope of qualification after Denmark was held to a 2-2 draw by Belarus earlier in the day. However, with only one game left for Scotland, the pressure is now on to secure a positive result against Cyprus in their final qualifying match.
The defeat has sparked debate among Scottish football fans, with many calling for Clarke to step down as manager after the disastrous campaign. However, Clarke has remained defiant, insisting that he will not be swayed by the criticism and remains committed to guiding his team to qualification.
For Scotland, the World Cup is now a distant dream, but the question on everyone's lips is: can they still salvage what's left of their season?
! I'm so bummed out for Steve Clarke and the boys in blue. They had such high hopes and it all came crashing down like that 
. One minute you're up 2-0, the next you're on your knees 
. I mean, what can you say to these guys? It's not just about Clarke stepping down, it's about everyone feeling so defeated 
. Can they still turn things around? They've got that one last game against Cyprus... it's do or die, right? 
he just gave up on us in the second half, no strategy whatsoever! and callum paterson's solo goal was the highlight of the game lol but seriously, what's going through his head?! 
anyways, it's not over yet, we can still qualify if we win that last match against cyprus... fingers crossed 
, people are already writing Clarke's eulogy... like he had nothing to do with it 
. Scotland gets screwed by Greece and suddenly he's a dead man walking? no way, this is all on the team and the players, not the gaffer 
. we need to give Clarke a break here 
. Denmark draws against Belarus and suddenly that's a huge boost for Scotland? 
. what about when it was 3-1 up to Greece? no one batted an eyelid... now it's all about the manager 
. fair play to Callum Paterson though, solo effort from him? 
he's been carrying that team all season 
.
by how far Scotland had gotten in the World Cup qualifying process only to have it all taken away from them like that. 3-2 is a huge deficit and you just can't come back from that kinda loss, especially not with those last three goals Greece scored being total flukes 
.
. I mean, you can't blame Clarke too much since his team was playing really poorly in the 2nd half 
. But at the same time, he needs to be more prepared for situations like this 
. It's not just about Clarke though, it's also about the whole system and how Scotland approaches qualifying for big tournaments 
. Fingers crossed! 
Scotland was so close to securing that spot 
Steven Fletcher's goal was pure magic 
, and Callum Paterson's solo effort was insane 
.
. But you know what? This isn't the end for Scotland just yet 
hopefully denmark can seal up qualification for scotland and make this last match count 
. 3-2 is a tough pill to swallow, especially after they came back from 2-0 down 
. but 3 late goals in a row is just crazy 
. it's not over yet, there's still one game left, so they gotta give it everything 
.
he's either a genius tactician or a total coach in denial 
Scotland fans are rightfully salty rn 
but at the end of the day, Clarke needs to own up to his mistakes and make some serious changes ASAP 
. And those last three goals were like a dagger to the heart