Scotland took another step toward World Cup 2026 qualification with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Belarus at Hampden Park, though they were made to sweat after a late rally from the visitors.
Goals from Che Adams and Scott McTominay proved enough for Steve Clarke’s side, but a stoppage-time strike from Gleb Kuchko ensured a tense finish to a match that was far from routine for the Scots.
The hosts began brightly, eager to bounce back from recent inconsistency, and nearly took the lead early when Che Adams saw his shot blocked following good work by Billy Gilmour.
Belarus, however, were no pushovers, forcing Angus Gunn into a fine save from Pavel Zabelin’s header inside ten minutes as they showed attacking intent of their own.
The breakthrough arrived in the 15th minute when Adams finished confidently from close range after Jack Hendry’s clever pass split the defence.
The Southampton striker’s low left-footed effort found the bottom corner, and though a lengthy VAR check followed, the goal stood to give Scotland the advantage they deserved.
Clarke’s side pushed for a second before the interval. Ben Doak, lively throughout, saw two efforts denied by Belarus goalkeeper Fedor Lapoukhov, while Gilmour fired narrowly over the bar.
At the other end, Valeri Gromyko’s ambitious long-range effort was the best Belarus could muster before half-time, as Scotland went into the break 1-0 up.
Second-half sweats
The second half saw Scotland continue to control possession but fail to kill off the contest. John McGinn’s curling effort was comfortably saved, and Scott McTominay’s long-range strike was parried away by Lapoukhov.
There was a scare for the hosts just past the hour mark when Evgeni Malashevich had the ball in the net for Belarus, only for VAR to rule it out for offside in the build-up.
That warning appeared to jolt Scotland into life. With just six minutes left, captain Andy Robertson whipped in a trademark cross from the left, and McTominay arrived late in the box to guide a composed finish into the bottom corner.
However, the drama was far from over. Deep into stoppage time, Kuchko reduced the deficit with a tidy finish from close range after Nikita Korzun’s pass carved open the Scottish defence. Belarus pushed forward frantically in the dying moments, with German Barkovskiy seeing a deflected shot blocked, but Scotland held firm through the final seconds to secure a vital three points.
