Yugoslavia, Kluivert, Kirova Street: Scotland's wheel of fortune is turning for World Cup

Explosions of joys on the terraces in recognition of goals scored 90 miles away and despite little happening in the game they are watching. Celtic were already well on the way to establishing the margin of lead required against St Mirren in Paisley to overturn Hearts’ significant goal advantage. Cue Albert Kidd.

The opposite of this was the deflating goal news coming from Wembley at Euro '96 as Scotland did what they had to do and overcame Switzerland thanks to Ally McCoist’s wonder strike. England were racking up the goals against the Netherlands at the same time but, perhaps surprisingly, that wasn’t the depressing part. What no one wanted to hear was David Seaman letting one in through his legs from Patrick Kluivert 12 minutes from the end.

What normally would be described as a consolation goal was actually a hugely significant one since it kept Netherlands in second place in the group on goal difference and cost Scotland a place beyond the group phase for the first time in a major finals.

There are moments in time when everything seems to be going your way and other occasions when it resolutely does not feel like that. Scotland have plenty of experience of the latter. Unbeaten at the World Cup in 1974? Eliminated because Yugoslavia went goal crazy against Zaire and Scotland didn’t.

Maybe things really are looking up. Maybe the wheel has turned. No one can say Scotland aren’t enjoying the rub of the green so far in this World Cup qualifying campaign. A 3-1 win over Greece at Hampden in a game where the visitors were far superior. An equaliser for Belarus chopped off after a re-watch on VAR because of a foul on a player near the halfway line. And then, with Greece seemingly set on wiping the floor with Steve Clarke’s side, a butterfly flaps its wings a thousand miles and more away in the form of a Belarus player scoring an equaliser against Denmark. Bedlam in the away end. Not the away end in Copenhagen, where there were precious few opposition supporters. But in Piraeus, where 2,500 Scots exploded with joy amid confused looks from Greeks in the stadium.

The strike that changed everything

The locals had probably lost interest in the group intricacies since their own team were no longer in the equation. So there were more confused looks when an ever greater explosion of joy was heard a few minutes later as a new Scotland hero in the shape of Nikita Demchenko announced himself. His club are Dinamo Mink in his homeland - address the Traktor stadium, Kirova Street, Minsk for anyone wishing to send cards, flowers, whisky or offers of marriage. Like Gary Mackay when he goes to Dublin and is unable to move for people offering to buy him pints of Guinness, Demchenko should start looking at holidays in the Highlands if Scotland take full advantage of the second chance they’ve been given. Mackay’s winner for Scotland in Sofia against Bulgaria in 1987 sent Ireland to the European Championships, their first major finals.

Nothing is secured yet as far as Scotland are concerned but Demchenko’s strike changed everything. Denmark needed to score twice to secure top spot in the group providing Scotland slipped up. There was still plenty of time, although this wasn’t the view of journalists in the press box at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium. With deadlines looming, they were staring at screens full of paragraphs detailing how Scotland had reverted to type and blown their chance of taking automatic qualification into the last game, which was how it looked at 3-0 down.

“It’s 1-1 in Copenhagen!” announced one journalist, with of mixture of elation, incredulity and complete and utter dread at what the consequences were for his match report. A huge roar went up in the away corner as the same news filtered through on phones. And then came a goal from their own team to celebrate as Ben Gannon-Doak got the Scots back into things.

Were the scales beginning to tip in Scotland’s favour? Demchenko’s strike into the corner beyond Kasper Schmeichel to put Belarus 2-1 up in Copenhagen suggested they were.

According to official Uefa data, both his and Gannon-Doak’s goals are timed at 65 minutes. Given the bedlam, it’s hard to remember whether news of a second for Belarus came in before Gannon-Doak swept into the net or whether it was afterwards. Whatever the case, the eruption was definitely louder in response to the goal scored in a stadium 1700 miles away. Scotland were walking in a Demchenko wonderland, however improbable this seemed.

Clarke later revealed he had already accepted it was the play-offs for Scotland, even going to the extent of sending instructions onto the pitch with this in mind. It isn’t easy to fathom what they were. Take it easy? Conserve energy ….for the Spring?

This conservative bent was there for all to see when Craig Gordon, not content with winning his 82nd cap at the age of 42 having not played all season, thought he might try and score his first goal for his country for good measure and came up for a late corner. Ryan Christie’s header meant Scotland were another goal away from achieving their aim whatever was going on in Copenhagen.

Gordon’s hopes of heading home were dashed when he was furiously waved back towards his own goalmouth by the Scotland bench. “Not something I encourage,” explained Clarke. Spoilsport. Maybe this ridiculous storyline is being kept for another night. The veteran ‘keeper rising at the back post in injury time to send Scotland to a World Cup on Tuesday? You wouldn’t put it past him in this compelling qualifying campaign that seems for once to be favouring Scotland.