Story behind forgotten Scotland goal and the player who has a case to be in Steve Clarke's World Cup XI

There were 78 minutes on the clock when Lewis Ferguson swung in a corner kick which substitute Lawrence Shankland touched home from close range to put Scotland 2-1 ahead against Denmark.

With the visitors down to 10 men following a red card for defender Rasmus Kristensen, it appeared that the strike would send Scotland to the World Cup for the first time in 27 years.

That was until the Danes equalised a few minutes later before the remarkable ending by Scotland which secured a 4-2 victory and booked a ticket to the USA, Canada and Mexico next summer.

The importance of Scotland’s second goal may never be fully appreciated given the lasting impact of the Scott McTominay overhead kick, Kieran Tierney’s howitzer and Kenny McLean’s 50-yarder, but it was a crucial moment at the time.

On a personal level it provided Ferguson with the first assist of his Scotland career to add to his first international goal scored in the 3-1 win over Greece the previous month.

The midfielder credited recently-appointed set piece coach Andrew Hughes as the brainchild behind the corner kick routine which left Shankland with the freedom of the six-yard box to score.

“We work on it a lot with Andrew Hughes, he's really good," Ferguson said. "He goes into so much detail. I’d say that corner was down to him. Because a lot of the corners during this camp have gone back post.

"He wanted to change it up for this one and go slowly into the front area. It worked and that's why he's here. He’s given us that information in training and we’ve carried it onto the pitch. It’s got us a vital result."

Ferguson's delivery was so pinpoint that it even appeared to be heading directly into the net before Shankland's touch made sure.

"I think he said it was going in," the Bologna captain said. "That's a striker, isn't it? That's why he's here. That's why he scores 20 plus goals a season."

From bit-part player to Scotland starter

Ferguson was still trying to break into the Scotland team when his Euro 2024 dream was snatched away by a devastating cruciate ligament injury two months out from the tournament. He had 12 caps under his belt but was still awaiting his first competitive start for his country when he was sidelined for six months after suffering the setback in April last year.

However, he has made a strong case to now be considered part of Steve Clarke's strongest XI for next summer's World Cup after starting five of the six matches in a campaign that has delivered qualification for the first time in his lifetime.

"It means everything, it means the world," Ferguson beamed. "Honestly, it was so, so hard to miss out in the Euros last time through injury. I was gutted and devastated, but when I was working towards coming back and doing all my rehab and work, it's sort of in the back of your head that the next major tournament is a World Cup, and that's even bigger.

“So it was always in the back of my head that it gave me that extra bit of motivation to go and try and get there.

“Throughout this campaign, we've dug in, we've really dug in, and we've got the points that we needed to top the group. I'm just so proud of the way we've done it.

“It’s not been done in my lifetime. I've never seen it. I grew up watching Scotland not being in any major tournament, it's only been the last few that I've watched them in the Euros. My generation has never seen Scotland in this tournament, so I'm just so proud to be part of the squad that's made it.”