Scotland Men's Football Team

We asked for your views on Scotland's 3-1 win over Greece in Europe's World Cup qualifying Group C.

Here's what some of you said:

George: We froze on the night. Greece were controlled throughout, apart from the error from their goalkeeper for our third goal. However, when are referees going to sort out the diving: there's a need to reset VAR generally and reviewing "fouls" would be one way to improve the game. Greek diving was blatant and the referee fell for it more often than not. We take the win, have a smile and move on. What's "we were robbed" in Greek?

David: Great result, awful performance. Steve Clarke really needs to stop being so stubborn and make changes sooner when things clearly aren't working. We were lucky - there was no midfield presence at all. The game was crying out for Billy Gilmour and, as soon as he came on, he started pulling the strings like usual. But why wait until it's that obvious and it was obvious from the fifth minute? Clarke has to be more proactive with his substitutions because on another night, that could've easily been 3-0 to Greece, but we were due some luck, so we deserve it for once.

Stuart: To those saying we stole that - remind me how many chances Greece actually had. They had three shots on target, including the goal, and the first one was a ridiculously easy save. Let's imagine it was Scotland that had all the possession but didn't do anything with it - which we've seen. We'd be going "same old Scotland, move the ball well but can't finish it". Scotland played very well defensively to shut Greece out and we took our chances when we got them. Well deserved win.

Thomas: It's just really strange that we needed to concede a goal to start trying to play football. It feels like we were playing not to get beat and, when that didn't go to plan, we actually had to go for it. Maybe we can start trying to play like that from the first whistle? Just an idea, Stevie.

John: We as Scotland football team have suffered many glorious failures. It was payback time against Greece. Clarke gets results. I will take that all day long.

John: No more watching football for me, it's too stressful. Poor Greeks - a sickener for them. Well done Lyndon Dykes for your enthusiasm and a great goal.

Image source, Getty Images

Greece head coach Ivan Jovanovic insists qualifying for the World Cup "can be achieved" despite his side's damaging 3-1 defeat by Scotland at Hampden on Thursday.

The hosts came from a goal down to secure a win that leaves Greece four points adrift of Steve Clarke's side and Denmark, who lead European Group C on goal difference.

"It's a goal that can be achieved," Jovanovic said when asked if his side can recover sufficiently in the final three games.

"It's simple. If we want to continue to keep our chances alive, we need to win the next three matches."

Greece next travel to face the Danes, who won 3-0 in Piraeus last month, on Sunday as the Scots host bottom side Belarus.

"The two defeats against Denmark last month and Scotland today leave us behind in our chances to qualify," Jovanovic admitted.

"In the next three days, aside from getting the players to rest, we also have to come up with a gameplan to win the next match. We look forward to the next one.

"We made some lapses in concentration from two set-pieces, which gave Scotland a goal as well and a chance to be in the game. We didn't make many mistakes in the match, but the ones we did cost us heavily.

"But we all need to find the energy going forward to get a result on Sunday, to give us a chance to go into next month's matches.

"I think it's a difficult time for the players as well, but there is a huge target at the end of it, which is the World Cup."

Scotland took a significant step towards securing a World Cup play-off place as Lewis Ferguson's first international goal helped secure an unlikely comeback win over a dominant Greece at Hampden.

Read the match report here.

Have your say on the game here.

Image source, SNS

Scotland head coach Steve Clarke tells BBC Scotland: "On the performance side of it, you have to understand how hard we worked out of possession.

"When they scored the goal, the shackles came off a bit and from there we finished the game strong.

"The Greeks had a lot of the ball first half but they weren't carving us open.

"Football is a 90-minute game and you have to make sure you come out of it with a positive result. 3-1 maybe flatters us, but we did enough to win the game.

"It gives us three points and takes us one step closer to what we want to do.

"Lewis Ferguson and Ryan Christie both miss out. Aaron Hickey has picked up a small injury so I've got a bit of thinking to do.

"We can only concentrate on ourselves. We have to win here and see what the situation is after that."

Image source, SNS

Lewis Ferguson: "It means everything. Playing here in front of our home crowd, it's so important to pick up maximum points and we did that.

"This game means nothing if we don't win on Sunday. We'll rest, recover and go again."

Ryan Christie: "Massive win. We're not naive enough to know we weren't at our best tonight. The reaction to going 1-0 down was brilliant.

"It's been a while since I scored for my country so it's nice. Two massive games - that's one ticked off and now onto Sunday."

Amy Canavan
BBC Sport Scotland at Hampden Park

Image source, SNS

Scotland hope to "put things right from what happened in March" on Greece's return to Hampden on Thursday night, says Ryan Christie.

The Greeks routed their hosts in the second leg of their Nations League A play-off to earn promotion to the top tier of the competition and relegate Steve Clarke's side to the B division.

The Scots were soft and spooked by their much superior visitors, but midfielder Christie insists his team are "in a new place now" following a steady start to World Cup qualifying last month.

"It was obviously a frustrating night for us," the Bournemouth playmaker said of the 3-0 defeat earlier this year.

"We will definitely watch clips from that game in terms of trying to learn from it and where we can avoid the mistakes we made on the night and hurt them a little bit more.

"What we need to remember is how well the boys – not me – did out there in the first leg to go and get the 1-0 win [in the away leg].

"It's a team we obviously know we can beat, and we have the chance now to put things right from what happened in March.

"You certainly don't like getting beaten in front of your own fans and you would like to put that right, especially the way the scoreline finished.

"We are in a new place now and there is probably more on the line going into this one."

Image source, SNS

Since the disappointing 3-0 defeat at Hampden against Greece, Steve Clarke's men have played four times, winning two, drawing one and losing to Iceland in June. In that time they scored seven and conceded just three, all of which came against the Icelanders.

Form that probably justifies a place in the World Cup in the summer, but certainly not anything out of this world.

The Greeks on the other hand, have won three of four scoring 13 goals in the process, with their only loss coming at home to a strong Denmark side last month.

Despite this unprecedented Greece barrage of goals and uptick in form, Greek football expert Stephen Kountourou spoke to The Scottish Football Podcast, and feels there are weaknesses in the side that Scotland can look to exploit on Thursday evening.

"We have the opposite problem of Scotland whereby we do have some really great midfielders coming through like Christos Zafeiris and Christos Mouzakitis who were the midfield duo against Scotland at Hampden Park," he added.

"But beyond that, there's no-one in the middle of the park that's at the peak of their powers right now because we've either got those two who are really young or we have Manolis Siopis, Dimitrios Kourbelis and Petros Mantalos, and even the captain Bakasetas who are all 30 plus.

"And so there's no-one in the middle that's at their absolute peak. And we obviously need to give the younger players time, but I think that there's still a bit of a lack of depth in that midfield area, which the Greek FA are trying to address.

"They have kind of gone to some Greek kind of diaspora players and said to them, 'look, would you like to come and play for Greece'?

"They said, 'we'll give you the opportunity'. And while they haven't come through yet, we know that there are a couple of players waiting in the wings who might address that.

"It depends on the level of those kind of players, though - and if they can take this starting spot in the national team."