Scotland’s night of madness and glory
Scotland booked their World Cup ticket in an unforgettable night at Hampden Park — a chaotic, exhausting, emotional roller coaster that will go down as one of the great moments in recent Scottish football history.
Needing nothing less than a win against Denmark, while the Danes only required a draw, Scotland came out with ferocity. Their early reward came through the man of the moment, Scott McTominay, who struck with a spectacular overhead kick to ignite the Glasgow crowd.
But the relentless pace soon took its toll. Fatigue crept in, mistakes followed, and captain Andrew Robertson conceded a penalty converted by Rasmus Højlund. Denmark then went down to ten men after Kristiansen’s red card, yet still pushed forward in search of the knockout blow.
Instead, Scotland struck again on a chaotic long throw-in, with Lawrence Shankland pouncing on a loose ball to restore hope and send Hampden into eruption. Moments later, Victor Dorgu silenced the stadium with a Danish equalizer — but the drama was far from over.
In the freezing Glasgow night, Kieran Tierney — the eternally injured warrior — delivered a stunning 3–2 goal that reignited the stadium. Denmark pushed desperately through six minutes of added time, but instead of leveling, they were punished. Kenny McLean sealed it with a calm lob in stoppage time.
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Scotland are in heaven. Denmark, after dropping points to Belarus, suddenly find themselves on the edge of disaster.
Austria get the job done
Austria flirted with disaster but ultimately secured their first World Cup appearance since 1998. In a frigid, electric Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Bosnia struck first through Tabaković, putting Austria under real pressure.
The hosts struggled to break through, frustration growing as the temperature dropped. Relief finally arrived in the 78th minute, when Michael Gregoritsch fired the equalizer that reignited Vienna. Austria held firm and punched their World Cup ticket — a historic return after nearly three decades.
Belgium rolls to qualification
Belgium sealed its place at the World Cup in style, dismantling a modest Liechtenstein side with a festival of goals. Hans Vanaken opened the scoring, Jeremy Doku doubled the lead, and Charles De Ketelaere added a brace. Alexis Saelemaekers — in excellent form with AC Milan — and Brandon Mechele scored as well.
The Red Devils are heading to their fourth consecutive World Cup.
Routine business for Spain and Switzerland
For both Spain and Switzerland, qualification was all but guaranteed heading into the final matchday. Only implausibly heavy defeats could have derailed their campaigns — and neither faced real danger.
Both sides finished with draws, calmly booking their tickets to the World Cup. Kosovo and Turkey now move on to the playoffs.