More reaction
I’ll leave you with something Scotland fans might want to take their time over ... Louise Taylor’s match report! Thanks for your company on what, for many of you, may be an increasingly hazy night. Enjoy!
Earlier today, North Macedonia fared better than their local rivals:
Don’t forget Hungary and Slovakia have also made it through tonight.
Scotland began their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign with a 3-0 defeat in Kazakhstan in March 2019 ... it’s fair to say they have come a long way.
Here is Andy Robertson!
“I don’t think we can sum it up just now. So much emotion going into the game and then to get so close, they equalise and you have to pick yourself up which we did. When we go to penalties you always back Marshy and just hope the lads can hold their nerve. We’ve come a long way as a squad and I’m proud of the lads because they’ve been through a lot, had a lot of criticism. Other people would have crumbled and lost in extra time but we stuck together, got what we deserved and I can’t wait for the summer now. It’s the most emotional I’ve been after a game and I’m so proud. What a night, so hard to explain just now, tears everywhere. These lads deserve it, I’m just the boy that’s so lucky to walk out in front of them.”
Spare a thought for Northern Ireland, who didn’t quite make it:
Christie speaks now. He looks very emotional, he’s actually in tears!
“Just an amazing night. From the start we believed, we picked up so much belief from each other. Conceding that late equaliser we still dug in then penalties away from home ... unbelievable. Oh, god ... it’s been a horrible year for everyone, we knew that coming into the game and I hope everyone back home is having a party tonight becausen of everything we’ve been through over the years.
Marshall speaks: “It was never going to be easy. The first hour we were completely dominant and their goal was not coming. I’m just lost for words about how the lads handled that pressure when they got the equaliser. The last three or four games we’ve got that belief, winning games. I thought we deserved it and I’m just so happy.”
Then he’s dragged away to celebrate. After that save he had a split-second look at the referee to check there wasn’t a problem – once he got the nod he tore up the pitch to be met by his teammates.
Simon McMahon has perked up now!
“Nikola Tesla, Novak Djokovic, Nemanja Vidic, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and all the other famous Serbians, CAN YOU HEAR ME?! Your boys took a hell of a beating, A HELL OF A BEATING. We are the best in the world. CAN YOU HEAR ME???!!! Never in doubt, was it?”
Wow. The Tartan Army will be praying that the health situation eases and they can get on the road for this. Scotland will play England, Croatia and Czech Republic in Euro 2020 and what a treat we are in for. They deserved that tonight: it looked a dead cert to be the most glorious of failures but they showed *incredible* composure to put away a perfect set of spot kicks before Marshall thwarted Mitrovic.
The Serbians are furious – do they think Marshall strayed from his line as he sprang to his left and quite brilliantly got a big fist behind the ball? Scotland do not care ... they have qualified for the European Championship and there’s a throbbing blue mob inside the penalty area. Twenty-two years of hurt are over!
Updated
MARSHALL SAVES AND SCOTLAND QUALIFY FOR EURO 2020
They have done it!!!
Mitrovic steps up ...
MCLEAN SCORES! Now can Marshall win it for them? 5-4 to Scotland ...
Updated
McLean is up now ...
KATAI SCORES! These have been fantastic penalties, I must say. 4-4 and sudden death ...
Now Katai ...
MCBURNIE SCORES! That was ice-cool too! 4-3 to Scotland.
Here is Oli McBurnie ...
GUDELJ SCORES. Cool. As. You. Like. 3-3.
Here comes Gudelj dfor Serbia ...
MCTOMINAY SCORES! Clinical, low, so accurate. 3-2 to Scotland.
McTominay now ...
JOVIC SCORES! But Marshall got a massive touch ... so close. 2-2.
MCGREGOR SCORES! Another smart finish beyond Rajkovic. 2-1 Scotland.
TADIC SCORES – emphatic finish there. 1-1
Tadic up next ...
GRIFFITHS SCORES! He finds the top corner via Rajkovic’s hand. 1-0 Scotland.
Penalties begin!
They’re shooting at the goal to our left. Scotland scored all their spot kicks against Israel in the semis, remember! Griffiths is up first ...
If Scotland fall short here, it will go right to the top of the list of heroic failures. They were *this* close, and far superior in the 90 minutes, before teetering in extra-time. Here we go, then ...
Simon McMahon is compos mentis! “Thanks for the concern, Matt; still here, but can’t watch. And hey, we’ve got a 100% record in penalty competitions. Soon to be 50% ...”
Full-time: Serbia 1-1 Scotland – we go to penalties!
It’s dealt with, and now look what we’ve got ...
Updated
120+1 min: Serbia win one last corner ...
118 min: Hearts in mouths as Mitrovic leaps to meet another cross after a slick Serbia attack, but the whistle goes for a foul. Close to those spot kicks now and then all bets are off ...
117 min: Leigh Griffiths is on for O’Donnell – his first cap for three years! Is that with a view to penalties? Paterson goes to right-back.
116 min: Sounds as if Slovakia have grabbed a late winner in Northern Ireland. Scotland would love to avoid a similar fate here, and do win a free-kick of their own. But McTominay fouls a defender in the box.
115 min: Katai finds a pocket of space and thuds one into Marshall’s midriff from 22 yards.
113 min: Marshall is taking his sweet time over clearances, which are being pumped as far as he can manage. No major alarms yet since the change of ends for him or his back line.
111 min: Jovic, making a miracle recovery after trying to buy a free-kick, flicks a header well wide.
110 min: Scotland defend a tricky situation well near their corner flag but it’s very much backs to the wall at the moment. The lottery of penalties looks enticing.
108 min: Stefan Mitrovic, afflicted by cramp, is replaced by Spajic.
106 min: Serbia are now vigorously pressing Scotland’s defenders in possession, which is quite a change from the first 89 minutes of their performance.
Off they go again – second half of extra-time
Anyone got any nails left?
Half-time in extra-time: Serbia 1-1 Scotland
It’s been mainly Serbia, and may well be in the next 15 too. Scotland are still bang in this, largely thanks for Marshall, but the tension is something else.
104 min: Katai runs, Scotland back off and the sub’s shot bobbles not far wide. Scotland might be getting a bit leggy here.
103 min: Scotland might accept penalties at this point, though it’s hardly beyond them to create another chance themselves ...
101 min: “Can someone pop in on McMahon? Just check he’s ok?” asks a concerned Matt Dony. I daren’t ...
99 min: Heavy Serbian pressure now. Scotland are on the rack at the moment. The home side’s latest corner is dealt with but ... Gudelj returns it with interest and Marshall makes a *brilliant* save, tipping round the post at full stretch. These are fraught times.
97 min: Mitrovic has an effort deflected wide. Scotland are missing Dykes, who had been winning everything up top and holding it up imperiously.
96 min: Hungary scored twice right at the death to beat Iceland 2-1, drama fans. And Northern Ireland provided some fun of their own too, equalising late on against Slovakia to put their own tie into extra time.
94 min: This is still there for Scotland. It’s a test of mental strength now but they need to remember that they’ve been consistently the better side throughout this game.
92 min: Rajkovic has to help a long-range drive from O’Donnell over the bar. Scotland will be encouraged to have a corner, which is punched away by Rajkovic before Jack lashes off target.
Peeeep! Extra-time is underway ...
What on earth lies in store now?
Scotland have been way better here. All precedent suggests a 95th-minute Serbia equaliser and victory on pens.
— Jonathan Wilson (@jonawils) November 12, 2020
Presented without comment.
End of 90 minutes: Serbia 1-1 Scotland
Into extra-time we will go, and Scotland need to clear their heads as this has been agonising. They’d barely been in trouble, and could have scored more themselves ... but then Jovic struck at the last.
90+2 min: That is pretty much the first cross Scotland haven’t defended expertly all night. What a kick in the guts. There were only two minutes of added time to play.
Goal! Serbia 1-1 Scotland (Jovic, 90)
Oh, my word. Oh no. Mladenovic produces a much, much better delivery this time and Jovic rises like a salmon to beat Marshall with a textbook downward header, bouncing up and in. We are heading for extra time.
Updated
90 min: Serbia make space in the box and Jovic just can’t connect properly from the cutback. He still earns a corner, and ...
88 min: Mladenovic hoists an attempted cross embarrassingly behind the goal and sums up Serbia’s night so far, really.
87 min: Christie, the likely hero here, is replaced by Paterson. Plenty of fist-bumps as he walks past the bench.
85 min: A let-off there, Jovic bulleting a header fractionally wide at the near post after Mladenovic gets away and crosses. That was a real chance for Serbia!
84 min: Katai miscues an attempted lob after Gallagher clears a right-sided cross, which are pretty much all Serbia have currently.
83 min: Gallagher does brilliantly to hold off Mitrovic and concede a corner. It’s a poor set-piece from Lazovic and Scotland, who just don’t look flustered at all here, survive with ease. Couple of subs now – the superb Dykes is off and McBurnie on, while the tireless McGinn is replaced by McLean. So close now ...
80 min: Now Tierney clears after Lazovic jinks inside Robertson. Scotland are standing firm.
78 min: Jovic earns Serbia a corner. Might be a few more of these. This one is headed away at the near post and Dykes brilliantly clears a subsequent delivery. But it’s another flag kick now, and some real pressure. Again, Scotland field it before Mitrovic flicks a header wide when it’s played back again. Nailbiting times, these.
75 min: Robertson is so good (newsflash!). He stops a Lazovic incursion towards his own box and then runs half the length of the field to get Scotland going again.
73 min: A Christie set-piece causes havoc and Serbia, at sixes and sevens, somehow scramble it away. Another goal would win this.
71 min: Now Christie, from an angle, cracks one across goal and inches wide! Serbia have brought on Katai and the Real Madrid forward Jovic for Milinkovic-Savic and Maksimovic.
70 min: Nearly spoke too soon! At one end McGregor shoots just wide from 25 yards, but then Serbia do put something together and Milinkovic-Savic heads into the side-netting when decently placed.
69 min: Tierney can’t find Robertson after a nice move, but Scotland are showing absolutely no sign of strain here.
66 min: Scotland’s players just look ... hungrier. They box Serbia in by their own corner flag again. The hosts just haven’t operated with this intensity at all.
64 min: A Scotland corner now, on the left side ... and a header a yard wide from McTominay.
63 min: Gallagher makes a big block as Mitrovic looks to turn him and shoot. Serbia are starting to step up the tempo, although that’s not saying too much as they have been very passive so far.
61 min: Robertson concedes a cheap corner but Tadic, having worked it short, once again overhits his delivery. Serbia’s big names have been well out of whack so far.
60 min: Serbia have brought on Mladenovic for Kostic, and the sub immediately gets away down the left only for O’Donnell to get back and block. The home side have half an hour to end their own awful European Championship run.
59 min: Getting “too early” emails from a lot of you. Have faith!
57 min: It’s one-way traffic at the moment. Scotland look in no mood whatsoever to let this go.
55 min: No question at all, Scotland deserve this. Serbia have been so patchy and, from the first minute, Clarke’s side have looked ice cool. They win a corner now but can’t work a chance for number two.
Goal! Serbia 0-1 Scotland (Christie 52)
But there it is! What a goal from Christie, who seems to be running out of options in a crowded zone just outside the box, but turns superbly – helped by teammates’ runs distracting the defence – and lashes a low drive in off the post! Scotland are on their way to the Euros if this holds!
Updated
51 min: What a chance for Robertson! Scotland should be ahead. Dykes holds the ball up expertly, waits, waits, and lays it into the path of the left wing-back, who you’d put your house on bulging the net from 15 yards. But he lashes over at full pelt! Best opening of the game by some way.
49 min: The all-action McGinn wins a free-kick midway into Serbian territory. It’s a decent position to seek out Dykes and company, but Christie’s cross flies beyond everyone.
47 min: I’d been wondering where Simon McMahon was!
“This is all rather worrying if you ask me. Scotland have been the better side but Serbia look dangerous, and conditions are dreadful, meaning mistakes are likely. I don’t like our chances if we concede first. And I hope Gallagher’s booking doesn’t prove costly – it wasn’t even a foul; I think the referee thought he had handled when in fact it was the Serbian player whose flailing arm caught the ball. Anyway, COME ON SCOTLAND!!!”
Peeep! Second half underway!
What a big 45 minutes ahead ...
Ok, get settled back in, we’re restarting soon ...
Ewan Paton writes: “Just great to see Scotland competitive in a serious match again, with a chance of qualifying. At 14, I had a letter published in the Glasgow Evening Times criticising the real negativity being directed towards a squad including Souness, Strachan, Archibald, McStay, Sharp and Charlie Nicholas, whose legendary manager had just died tragically at pitch side in Cardiff, and who had travelled successfully to the other side of the world (Australia) to qualify via a playoff for their fourth World Cup in a row.”
Other play-off half-times: Hungary 0-1 Iceland, Northern Ireland 0-1 Slovakia.
Friendlies latest: England 2-0 Republic of Ireland, Wales 0-0 USA.
Updated
Half-time: Serbia 0-0 Scotland
A good half from Scotland, who have set a platform to go on and win the game. They controlled the first 15 minutes and, while it’s been more even since then, still look the more structured and composed. Just the half-chance apiece really, to Lukic and McGinn; it’s tight, it’s tense, and this second half should be a belter.
45 min: Tadic’s delivery is uncharacteristically awful and that should see us through to the break.
44 min: Gallagher is booked for a seemingly innocuous foul 30 yards out. Tadic is over this ...
43 min: Tierney goes on a tremendous, scurrying burst into the box and gets towards the line. He cuts back with intent but a defender gets there first and the ball rolls to Rajkovic. That was a very, very smart change of tempo from the Arsenal man though and almost opened Serbia up.
40 min: McGinn tries to roll Gudelj and run free, but the referee isn’t having it. Not sure he actually did that much wrong there; McGinn certainly feels wronged.
38 min: A decent little spell for Serbia, forcing a couple of stretched clearances even if it doesn’t yield all that much. Scotland would definitely not want to go in behind here.
36 min: Christie loses his footing as he *almost* works a shooting chance on the edge of the box. It’s opening up a touch.
35 min: McGregor makes an absolutely vital run to cover a Lazovic break with Robertson the wrong side of the ball – wonderfully assiduous work from him.
32 min: Chance for McGinn! A half-chance anyway. He’s played into all kinds of space on the left but never quite looks confident enough to have a pop from that side, eventually shooting and forcing a relatively comfortable save from Rajkovic. Your Andy Robertsons possibly bury that.
31 min: Dykes does well to head on a long free-kick but is then pulled up for fouling Stefan Mitrovic. This currently has a going-the-distance feel about it.
29 min: A couple of decent deliveries from the left have just caused Scotland some concern. Mitrovic (let’s assume I mean the striker if I don’t give his first name) does get his head on the second of them but it loops through to Marshall.
28 min: Iceland lead in Hungary, as do Slovakia in Northern Ireland. All square here and, just now, not much going on at all. This always seemed destined to be on a knife edge.
25 min: Scotland press Serbia’s defenders like terriers down by the corner flag and win possession back after forcing a snatched clearance. They’re working very hard out there.
23 min: That was an alarm, though. Tadic works some magic, Mitrovic holds the ball up well in the box and lays it back for Lukic, and the Torino man sidefoots inches wide from 20 yards.
22 min: Very short on alarms so far for Scotland but what they don’t want to do is let this talented, but erratic, Serbia side play itself into this game. The control of that first 15 minutes was very much the way to go.
20 min: They nearly work an opening, too, as Lazovic tries to play in the bursting Milinkovic-Savic but there’s just too much on it. Milinkovic-Savic is a clear dangerman, he’s a magician when he gets going.
19 min: The hosts have settled a bit, by which I mean they’re actually getting on the ball for a sustained period now.
17 min: A flicker from Serbia, Tadic doing well to find Aleksandar Mitrovic but nobody being placed to meet the striker’s delivery. He’d usually have wanted to be in there himself, to be fair.
15 min: O’Donnell catches Kostic and Serbia have a breather. Scotland haven’t exactly run them ragged but nonetheless it’s been an impressive start. They look controlled, composed and confident.
13 min: Still Scotland dominate, working the ball forward smoothly and under little pressure. O’Donnell finds half a yard to deliver before Stefan Mitrovic clears again.
11 min: Christie’s left-footed free-kick, from 30 yards, is little trouble for Rajkovic. It was worth a go – it’s very wet and skiddy out there tonight.
10 min: Milenkovic goes across McGinn with a stray arm and it’s a very dangerous, central free-kick for Scotland. Milenkovic is booked.
9 min: Now Robertson seeks out Dykes with an early cross but Stefan Mitrovic, the centre-back, is there. The visitors are bossing this so far.
7 min: Tierney rakes over a fine diagonal pass that Christie takes beautifully, creating space to cross from the right. His delivery isn’t too far above the leaping Dykes.
6 min: Scotland definitely won’t be unhappy with this start. They’ve made the early running, such as it’s been. A lengthy passing sequence ends with a ball to Christie on the left, but his centre is claimed by Rajkovic.
4 min: It’s tentative, feely-feely stuff so far as you’d probably expect. We’ve had a wayward long pass apiece and a couple of passing moves strung around the back from each team.
2 min: Don’t forget that, if Scotland do make the Euros tonight, they’ll face England at Wembley in the group stage. Serbia, for their part, would contest a derby of their own with Croatia at ... Hampden.
Peeeep! Off we go!
Scotland are playing in their traditional colours and shooting from right to left ...
Brinkle writes: “Portuguese-Scottish here. My Scottish dad has been trying for the last 20 years or so to make us think he stopped caring about football ... I would love if we could finally go watch both national teams (Portugal and Scotland) in a big competition. Please Scotland! He is 76!”
Do it for Brinkle snr!
The teams are walking out now, inside a pulsating eerily silent Rajko Mitic Stadium – home to Red Star Belgrade. Nearly time!
One play-off we haven’t mentioned tonight: Hungary play Iceland shortly too. Will the surprise package of 2016 do it again?
Still time to read Ewan Murray’s brilliant preview. Can Scotland shed the fatalism that has dogged them?
James Humphries writes:
“The ‘98 World Cup is the first tournament Scotland were at that I’ve got clear memories of; mainly, unless my memory’s not as clear as I thought, of us getting denied a stonewall second penalty and Boyd putting through his own net during a valiant defeat. That should’ve been the warning sign, in retrospect, but I wasn’t any smarter as a schoolkid than, evidently, I am now. It’s the hope that kills you.”
Other MBMs are available tonight for the multi-taskers among you.
Northern Ireland v Slovakia – another big play-off final – with Rob Smyth:
England v Republic of Ireland – definitely not a play-off final – with Simon Burnton:
Wales v USA – not a play-off final in anyone’s wildest imagination – with Bryan Armen Graham:
@NickAmes82 With Scotland, it's always always the hope that kills you.
— The Stellarossa (@TheStellaRossa) November 12, 2020
Seems the way, doesn’t it? It’s quite similar for Serbia actually. They have plenty of pressure themselves to shed a historical burden: they haven’t qualified for a Euros since 2000, and back then they competed for one last time under the Yugoslavia banner.
Don’t be alarmed, Andy Robertson *does* play. I just took him criminally for granted when entering the teams first time around. Better hope he’s not ignored by his teammates on those gallops upfield later!
Don’t forget to send your emails in to the address above. Or tweets, I’m not fussy! This is a *big* night for Scotland and coming through it could offer such welcome relief for so many in a rotten year. What would this mean to you?
Looks as if Kieran Tierney will slot into the left of that back three for Scotland. Ryan Christie will be supporting the striker Lyndon Dykes, I fancy. The likes of Stuart Armstrong, Oli McBurnie and Leigh Griffiths are on the bench if extra vim and vigour are needed.
You’ll know a lot of those Serbian names. There’s no Aleksandar Kolarov, which is a blow for them – but that front three of Milinkovic-Savic, Tadic and Mitrovic is capable of ... anything.
News from elsewhere: in the League D play-off, North Macedonia have won 1-0 in Georgia and will make their European Championship finals debut next summer. Will Serbia add to the ex-Yugoslavia contingent?
Starting lineups
Serbia: Rajkovic, Milenkovic, S Mitrovic, Gudelj, Lazovic, Kostic, Maksimovic, Lukic, Milinkovic-Savic, Tadic, A Mitrovic.
Scotland: Marshall, O’Donnell, McTominay, Gallagher, Tierney, Robertson, McGinn, Jack, Christie, McGregor, Dykes.
Updated
Good evening
Can Scotland get the monkey off their back? In 1998, when they were running Brazil close in the opening game of the World Cup, you’d have been laughed out of town if you’d said they wouldn’t make it to a major tournament for the next 22 years. But here we are – it’s been an almost unremittingly bleak couple of decades, and Scotland have, much as it might seem strange to anyone over 30, been bordering on an irrelevance on the international stage since then.
Here’s their chance to become relevant again! And it’s a good one because this is ... whisper it ... quite a good team. They have a genuine world-class talent in Andy Robertson and a clutch of other players shining at Premier League level including Kieran Tierney, John McGinn and Stuart Armstrong. Even if they only squeaked past Israel to reach tonight’s showdown, Steve Clarke’s men are on an enviable run of form and their record over the last eight games reads W7 D1. They haven’t strung anything comparable together since winning six on the trot back in 2007. Is something stirring?
Hopefully, but they’ve quite the hurdle to overcome here. Serbia stand between them and Euro 2020, and start as favourites. You never really know what you’re going to get from Serbia: “mercurial” would be the word, because they produce a steady stream of lavish talents who thrill when they click but are just as liable to turn out total dross. They did the former in winning, impressively, in Norway to get this far but it was their only win in the last six. Which version will turn up?
It might help Scotland that, while a full stadium would be far better for the spectacle, they’ll be spared the usual cauldron-like Belgrade vibes. Will that give them the edge? Stay tuned and find out – I’ve a feeling this one might be a cracker, whichever way it goes.
