We wondered which version of Greece would turn up in Glasgow – the side that hammered Scotland 3-0 or the one that got hammered 3-0 by Denmark last time out. Emphatically, it was the latter, but football is about results.
At the break, it was 0-0, a mercy for the Scots given that Greece had confused the life out of them with their movement. Scotland didn’t know whether to press or not, such was Greece’s ability to pop it about.
Steve Clarke’s side looked like a disorganised rabble just waiting to be put out of their misery.
They had no attempt on target for an hour. Three Scots touched the ball in the Greek box in the first 45 minutes. Centre forward Che Adams had an average field position in that time on the centre circle. Scott McTominay was deeper than that.
John McGinn? Lord knows where he was. On the pitch, yes, but rarely spotted.
The uncertainty and confusion in the Scottish ranks was not just alarming, it looked like it was going to be fatal to their World Cup dream. You’d have bet the house on Greece at 1-0. You’d have thrown in the car on them making it a couple more.
Just after the hour, luck trumped class and Scotland equalised. An ugly old thing and yet wondrous at the same time. Ryan Christie’s corner, a bobble about and a smack into the Greek net.
On the touchline, Clarke had words with his assistant Steven Naismith.
“How are we level, Naisy?” asked Clarke
“No idea, gaffer,” replied Naismith.
“It’s a miracle, Naisy,” said the manager,
“Give us six numbers for the lotto, boss,” said Naismith.
That exchange didn’t happen, of course, because when the two men came side-by-side, the pair of them seemed lost for words as Hampden convulsed all around them. A draw? ‘We’ll take it and do the arithmetic later’.
There was more to come, naturally. Karetsas and Konstantelios appeared and acres of space appeared down Scotland’s right.
Greece started to gather themselves and look dangerous again. And that’s when Scotland made it two. A free-kick, a scramble, a Lewis Ferguson poke, and the lead.
This was football as fiction. No, science fiction.
Into added time we went. Karetsas forced a brilliant save from Gunn in the 91st minute. Have you ever seen 45,000 people roar with happiness while simultaneously calling for oxygen masks?
And have you ever seen anything as ludicrous, as preposterous, as jaw-droppingly hilarious as a third Scottish goal going in at the end? A present. Big Lyndon Dykes ripped off the gift-wrapping and launched his shot into the roof of the Greek net.
Scotland drive on, somehow. They have Belarus on Sunday, a game they are hot favourites to win. Belarus got annihilated by Denmark on Thursday.
In pulling off this Houdiniesque act of escapology, Clarke’s team produced the strange feat of stunning a stadium into delirium. Three good results on the board. Three more and it’s Hollywood, baby.