Scotland increased their chances of clinching a place in the World Cup finals in Canada, Mexico and the United States next summer when they recorded an impressive draw against Denmark in Copenhagen this evening.
A meeting with the top seeds in Group C in the Parken Stadium was the most difficult start the national team could have had to their qualifying campaign. But Steve Clarke’s men rose to the occasion and then some. They contained Brian Riemer’s side well and were unfortunate not to score themselves.
The only disappointment at the end of the 90 minutes was that they had failed to win the encounter outright. Here are five talking points from an excellent all-round showing from the country.
Shock starting line-up
Nobody saw the Scotland side coming. No Billy Gilmour or Ben Gannon-Doak? Two strikers in Che Adams and Lyndon Dykes? The XI which kicked the game off was a major surprise and no mistake. But it was, with two strikers involved from the get go, certainly offensive.
It looked very much like with Lewis Ferguson dovetailing with Scott McTominay in the centre of the midfield, Ryan Christie on the left and John McGinn on the right, like a good old fashioned 4-4-2 formation. Football traditionalists were in dreamland.
But the absence of Napoli midfielder Gilmour and Bournemouth winger Gannon-Doak was disappointing for those who see them as them as the future of the national team. Clarke explained his reason for omitting the latter when he spoke to host broadcaster BBC Scotland before kick-off.
“You have to weigh up the fact that a lot of them haven’t played many minutes this season and we have two games in three days,” he said. “Ben has only had one start and 45 minutes off the bench. You have to try and protect them a little bit. But for sure over the next six games Ben is going to play a big, big part in the team.”
Toothless up front, comfortable at the back
The Scotland manager, however, had no qualms about restoring Aaron hickey to his rearguard even though the former Hearts right-back has played less than 90 minutes of football in the past two years due to a serious knee injury. It was his first appearance for his country since the October of 2023.
Nor did he have any quibbles about handing Angus Gunn, who was stretchered off in the defeat to Iceland at Hampden to June, the No 1 jersey even though the goalkeeper hasn’t featured in a competitive match this term. But the defence, which also comprised John Souttar, Grant Hanley and Andy Robertson, was solid.
Gunn wasn’t seriously tested in the opening 45 minutes. Neither was his opposite number Kasper Schmeichel at the other end of the park. But the Celtic man really should have been. The visitors had their chances, arguably the better chances, in the first half.
Christie squandered two gilt-edged opportunities. He shelled a shot wide from the edge of the hosts’ penalty box after Ferguson had done well to win possession in the opposition half. He should have done better with a header after getting on the end of a McGinn cross at the back post.
Still, it was an assured, encouraging Scotland display against the top seeds in the section and travelling supporters were heartened by what they were witnessing in the intimidating arena.
Not so great Danes
Denmark enjoyed a decent if unspectacular 2024/25 campaign. They made it through to the quarter-finals of the Nations League and only lost to eventual winners Portugal after extra-time. They rounded off their campaign with comfortable friendly wins against Northern Ireland and Lithuania at home.
But they were a shadow of the side which reached the Euro 2020 semi-final and only lost to England at Wembley after their rivals were awarded a soft penalty. They looked like they missed their talisman Christian Eriksen, who is currently without a club, as well as their young Lazio winger Gustav Isaksen out wide.
Their first really fluid passage of play came in the second half after Schmeichel had kept a ferocious McTominay attempt out with his outstretched leg. But Hanley was alert to the danger which Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg posed and deflected it wide.
Shoot Lyndon! Shoot!
Dykes should have broken the deadlock soon after that after outstanding work by Hickey and McGinn in the Scotland half. They linked well and broke upfield before feeding the advancing Adams. The forward squared to Dykes who had time, space and only Schmeichel to beat.
He had to shoot first time. If he had he would almost certainly have broken the deadlock and put his adopted homeland in front. But he took a touch and tried to steady himself. That allowed Rasmus Kristensen to steal in and clear the danger. Every Scotland fan inside the ground held his or her head in despair.
The former Queen of the South, Livingston and QPR forward has scored some huge goals while wearing a dark blue jersey in the past and is a bona fide Scotland icon. But he has not found the target at international level in over two years now. He needs to rediscover his touch in the final third if a World Cup place is to be secured.
Max let off
Max Johnston, the ex-full-back who moved from Sturm Graz in Austria to Derby County in England during the transfer window, took over from the outstanding Hickey with 20 miutes of regulation time remaining. He was very nearly red carded straight away.
Referee Daniel Siebert had a look at a replay of a clearance which struck his arm and decided that he had been nudged by Mika Biereth, a former Fir Park loanee, before he made contact with the ball. It was the correct call.
Clarke threw on Gannon-Doak, George Hirst and Kenny McLean in the closing stages and his replacements ensured Scotland had a point to show for their valiant efforts when the final whistle blew. On to Hungary and Belarus on Monday.
