Scotland end 22 years of hurt to qualify for Euro 2020 after spot-kick drama

Scotland qualified for the Euro 2020 finals with an historic defeat of Serbia in a nail-biting penalty shoot-out.

Scotland edged the spot-kicks 5-4 with all of Steve Clarke’s side netting their penalties.

Keeper David Marshall then saved from Mitrovic to secure a spot at next summer’s Euro 2020 finals.

It is the first time Scotland have qualified for a major tournament since the 1998 World Cup in France.

It was a deserved victory for Scotland who dominated for the entire regulation 90 minutes.

It is a win that will give the whole of Scottish football a much-needed shot in the arm after a troubled year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Scotland looked to be heading to the Euro finals courtesy of a superb Ryan Christie strike.

However, they suffered the devastating late blow of conceding an equaliser right at the death when substitute Luka Jovic was left completely unmarked at a corner.

Conceding at a set-piece was hard to take.

© SNS Group

With just two minutes of injury time, the Scots were 140 seconds from the Euros.

So near…. but yet so far.

Aberdeen defender Andy Considine dropped out of the starting XI despite impressive performances in the defeats of Czech Republic and Slovakia last month.

Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney was drafted in for Considine at the left-sided centre-half berth.

It was one of three changes to the side who beat Czech Republic 1-0 with captain Andrew Robertson returning in place of Greg Taylor.

Christie came in for the injured Ryan Fraser as support to striker Lyndon Dykes up front.

Scotland showed their early intentions when Christie got in behind the defence in the fifth minute to fire in a cross from the left, but keeper Predrag Rajkovic easily gathered.

Serbia’s Nikola Milenkovic was booked in the 10th minute for elbowing John McGinn as the Scot attempted to break forward 35 yards out.

Christie fired in the resultant free-kick, but it lacked real power. Although the shot skidded off the wet surface, keeper Rajkovic saved easily enough.

Scotland were dominating possession against a surprisingly passive Serbia.

However, in the 23rd minute, the Serbians threatened for the first time when Aleksandar Mitrovic held off Declan Gallagher with his back to goal.

Mitrovic slid a pass to the onrushing Sasa Lukic, who attempted to pass into the far corner from 25 yards, but the effort flashed just wide.

In the 32nd minute, Scotland threatened when Christie played McGinn into the penalty area, but he hesitated in unleashing his shot.

When McGinn eventually shot, it was weak and straight at the keeper.

In the 50th minute, Christie whipped in a curling free-kick from 35 yards out, but it bypassed the Scotland attack and went well wide.

Scotland should have made it 1-0 in the 50th minute following superb play from Dykes inside the box.

The striker skipped past two challenges and held possession before rolling the ball into the path of the on-rushing Robertson who ballooned a left-footed effort over from 15 yards.

It was a bad miss and the captain should at least have tested the keeper.

However, Scotland refused to let that miss deflate them and grabbed a deserved lead in the 52nd minute through a moment of magic from Ryan Christie.

Callum McGregor found Christie at the edge of the box with a short pass and he brilliantly turned before sending a superb low drive from the edge of the box that rattled off the far post and into goal.

It was a magnificent finish.

Ryan Christie’s huge goal for Scotland in Serbia.
Trying to keep a lid on it here 😅 #SRBSCO pic.twitter.com/bLTuAM1Ya5

— EveningExpress Sport (@ee_sport) November 12, 2020

In the 63rd minute Scott McTominay met a corner kick 15 yards out, but his header went wide.

Scotland were pushing for a second goal and almost got it when John McGinn passed to  Callum McGregor, but his long-range shot passed just wide.

There was a nervous moment soon after when a cross into the box found Sergej Milinković-Savić at the back post, but his downward header flashed just wide to the relief of Scotland.

The game was opening up and, in the 71st minute, Christie fired an effort across goal.

In the 78th minute, Mitrovic rose high to meet a cross, but his header flashed wide.

Serbia came close in the 85th minute when substitute Jovic met a cross at the near post, but powered a header wide from 10 yards.

It was a let-off for the Scots.

But there was heartache just seconds short of 90 minutes when JOVIC was left completely unmarked at a corner.

No-one picked up the Real Madrid attacker and he headed down into the ground and it looped over keeper David Marshall.

It was a devastating blow for Scotland.

The Scots never do things easily. They were going into extra-time.

Scotland had managed the game perfectly and were two minutes of extra-time away from a place in the Euro 2020 finals, but self destructed… again.

It was a sucker-punch and Scotland looked on the ropes for the early stages of extra-time.

In the 98th minute, keeper Marshall produced a brilliant diving finger tip save to push a vicious 25-yard drive from Nemanja Gudell wide.

Serbia threatened when Jovic met a cross in the 110th minute, but headed wide from 12 yards.

Scotland survived 30 minutes of extra-time where they were under the cosh to take it to penalties for a second successive Euro 2020 play-off match.

They defeated Israel 5-3 in the semi-final to set up the all or nothing clash in Belgrade.

Leigh Griffiths stepped up for the first pen and fired it into the roof of the net, although the keeper got a touch.

Then Serbia captain Dusan Tadic comfortably converted to make it 1-1.

Next McGregor fired in a powerful left-footed spot kick. 2-1

Goal scorer Jovic was next up and, although Marshall got his right hand to the spot-kick, it still went in.  2-2.

Then McTominay drilled a superb penalty low to the diving keeper’s right. 3-2.

Gudejl stepped up to calmly slot past Marshall. 3-3.

Substitute McBurnie sent the keeper the wrong way to shoot into the bottom left. 4-3.

Then Kataj powerfully shot home. 4-4.

McLean, who netted the winning spot kick against Israel, delivered again by converting a cool spot-kick. 5-4.

Then, Scotland finally secured an historic berth in the Euro 2020 finals when Marshall brilliantly saved from Mitrovic to win the spot-kicks 5-4.

SCOTLAND: Marshall; O’Donnell, Gallagher, McTominay, Robertson, Tierney; Jack, McGinn, Christie; McGregor, Dykes.

Substitutes: Oli McBurnie (for Dykes 83), Kenny McLean (for McGinn 83), Callum Paterson (for Christie 87), Leigh Griffiths (for O’Donnell 117)

Substitutes not used: Jon McLaughlin, Craig Gordon,  Scott McKenna, Liam Cooper, Stuart Armstrong, Oliver Burke,  Liam Palmer, Andy Considine.

SERBIA: Rajkovic, Milenkovic, S. Mitrovic, Gudelj, Lazovic, Maksimovic, Milinkovic-Savci, Lukic, Kostic, A. Mitrovic, Tadic

Substitutes: Mladenovic (for Kostic 59), Jovic (for Maksimovic 71), Katal (for Milinkovic-Savic 71)

Substitutes not used: Dmitrovic, Rockov, Spajic, Radonjic, Kolarov, Gacinovic, Vlahovic, Ristic, Grujic