Scotland 3 Greece 1: PLAYER RATINGS - Who was key in dramatic turnaround? Which star struggled to make an impact? And whose mistakes cost the visitors?

Scotland took a giant step towards qualifying for the 2026 World Cup as a dramatic - not to mention unexpected - comeback sealed a 3-1 victory over Greece at Hampden.

While the result moves Steve Clarke's side onto seven points out of a possible nine to begin the campaign, it was far from straightforward. 

The Scots were second best for the majority of this clash, delivering an uninspiring display which eventually saw them fall behind to Kostas Tsimikas' strike just after the hour mark. 

There was an immediate response though, as Ryan Christie brought them level from close range after the visitors failed to clear a corner.

If that was a shock, there was an even bigger one to come as Lewis Ferguson fired home at the back post to give the Scots a barely believable lead 10 minutes from time.

Angus Gunn pulled off a stunning late save to keep his side in front, before a goalkeeping howler at the other end gifted Lyndon Dykes a third goal.

The win puts Clarke's men in a great position heading into Sunday's match against Belarus, while the Greeks are on the verge of elimination, left to wonder how this one got away from them. 

Here, Ryan Gallacher gives his verdict on the individual displays on a wild night at Hampden... 

SCOTLAND (4-2-3-1) 

Angus Gunn 7

Had a quiet night despite his side being on the back-foot for the vast majority. When called upon, however, the importance — not to mention quality — of his late stop from Karetsas cannot be overstated. 

Aaron Hickey 6.5 

Kept tabs on Tzolis fairly well, forcing the Greek dangerman inside more often than not. A composed performance unfortunately cut short by what looks like yet another hamstring injury

John Souttar 6

Good physical battle with Pavlidis, and put his body on the line to help his side stay in the game. Distribution could’ve been better as Scots struggled to build from the back. 

Grant Hanley 5.5

Hibs centre-half got lucky after sitting off his man on a couple of occasions as Greeks pressed but won some key headers, including one in attack that led to Christie’s equaliser. 

Andy Robertson (c) 6.5

Skipper had his hands full up against Masouras and was guilty of giving him a bit too much space early on. Stuck to his task however and his delivery for the second goal was terrific. 

Lewis Ferguson 6

Partnership with Christie simply didn’t work and he lost run of Bakasetas, which should’ve led to early opener. Settled as game went on and was in right place at right time to give his side the lead.

Ryan Christie 6

Struggled to make any inroads in central midfield, but showed moments of aggression to try and inject Hampden with some energy. Well-controlled finish to bring his side level.

John McGinn 7.5

Scotland were stuck in their own half for so long yet it would have been so much worse if not for this man. Got his team up the park superbly and caused problems with his deliveries. Vital. 

Scott McTominay 5.5

Off-colour at club level and carried that into this game. So often the talisman for the national side but he was on the periphery here. Still worked hard and made some key defensive contributions. 

Ben Gannon-Doak 5.5

Teenager had a couple of bright moments in the first half but his team-mates just couldn’t get him on the ball. Struggled to track back but still a shock to see him hooked so early. 

Che Adams 6

Torino forward cut a lonely figure throughout. Did his best to press and bring others into the game but it was a thankless task. Unlucky to see his only effort of note deflected wide.

SUBSTITUTES 

Ralston (Hickey 59), Gilmour (Gannon-Doak 59), Tierney (Christie 83), Dykes (Adams 83), McKenna (Robertson 83). Not used: Kelly, Hendry, Miller, Hirst, Bowie, Gordon, McLean.

Steve Clarke 6.5

A robbery on par with Oslo a couple of years ago. Team were flat and insipid for so long, yet deserve credit for staying in the game. 

GREECE (4-2-3-1)

Konstantinos Tzolakis 5

Keeper will be wondering quite how he conceded three goals here. No chance with either of the first two but the third was calamitous from him, gifting it to Dykes as he tried to keep the ball in.

Georgios Vagiannidis 6.5

Had arguably the biggest task on paper as he lined up opposite Gannon-Doak. Kept him quiet though and was a bigger attacking threat himself with his underlapping runs down the right. 

Konstantinos Mavropanos 5.5

Centre-half threw himself in front of McGinn’s early shot and had a few important headers but found wanting when trying to defend his box at Scotland’s first two goals. 

Konstantinos Koulierakis 6

Young Wolfsburg defender will rarely have a more comfortable hour of international football before all hell broke loose for the visitors. Some errant passing out from the back. 

Kostas Tsimikas 7

An all-action display from the left-back, whose overlapping runs down the flank were a constant threat. Took goal well and had a fine cross to pick out Pavlidis. Lucky to not receive a second booking, 

Dimitros Kourbelis 7

Veteran midfielder was solid in protecting his back four as Scotland struggled to get any momentum through the middle of the park. Booked for cleaning out McGinn.

Christos Zafeiris 6.5

Helped his side control the game in the centre of the pitch yet only emerged as an attacking threat on a couple of occasions with some enterprising runs. Perhaps harshly booked for diving.

Georgios Masouras 6.5

Flashed in some dangerous deliveries from the right but missed his big chance after the restart when firing well off target with a very presentable opening. Played part in opening goal. 

Anastasios Bakasetas (c) 7

Tidy link play with Tzolis should’ve ended with an assist for him only for Pavlidis to somehow fluff his lines. Skipper had some neat moments and his pull-back led to Tsimikas’ goal. 

Christos Tzolis 7.5

Has been a menace to Scotland and Rangers in recent months and was the same again here. Constantly picked up dangerous positions and no surprise he played crucial role in opening goal. 

Vangelis Pavlidis 5.5

Quite extraordinary that he didn’t give his side the lead from Bakasetas’ first-half cross. Missed the target with header shortly after the break. Will be frustrated he didn’t make more of side’s dominance. 

SUBSTITUTES

Ioannidis (Masouras 72), Karetsas (Pavlidis 72), Konstantelias (Bakasetas 72), Mouzakitis (Zafeiris 83), Mantalos (Kourbelis 83). Not used: Vlachodimos, Michailidis, Douvikas, Mandas, Rota, Giannoulis, Siopsis.

Ivan Jovanovic 6

His team pressed effectively and controlled the game for so long. Will be absolutely dumbfounded they couldn’t put this one away. 

Referee: Espen Eskas 5 (Norway)

Attendance: N/A.