FIFA WORLD CUP EUROPEAN QUALIFYING : GREECE VS SCOTLAND – 15/11/2025 (PHOTO – BEN DOAK CELEBRATES)

WHEN THEY TALK ABOUT “AND THAT’S WHY THEY CALL IT THE BEAUTIFUL GAME” – (I.E. BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN) – THAT WAS NEVER MORE APPLICABLE THAN IN LAST NIGHT’S MATCH BETWEEN GREECE VS SCOTLAND! GREECE HAD 52% POSSESSION AND 6 CORNERS, WITH 17 SHOTS AND 9 ON-TARGET, INCLUDING AN EARLY OPENER FROM ANASTASIOS BAKASETAS AT 7 MINS., 

ANOTHER GREAT GOAL LATER FROM KONSTANTINOS KARETSAS AT 57 MINS. (BELOW)

AND A FINAL CRACKER FROM CHRISTOS TZOLIS AT 63 MINS., WHICH MEANT THAT BY THIS TIME, GREECE WERE 3 – 0 UP! SCOTLAND SEEMED TO STRUGGLE TO FIND A WAY PAST THEM IN THE FIRST-HALF, BUT CAME OUT WITH RENEWED VIGOUR IN THE SECOND-HALF WITH AN EXCITING COMEBACK, WITH BEN DOAK SCORING 2 MINS. AFTER TZOLIS AT 65 MINS. (BELOW)

AND THE MOST AMAZING HEADER FROM RYAN CHRISTIE AT 70 MINS.

(PLUS SOME EXCITING NEAR-MISSES FROM MCTOMINAY AND MCGINN INBETWEENTIMES.) AND WITH SCOTLAND NOW FIRING ON ALL FOUR CYLINDERS, THEY LOOKED AS THOUGH THEY WOULD EQUALISE! (ESPECIALLY AFTER GREEK CAPTAIN AND SCORER OF THE FIRST GREEK GOAL BAKESATAS WAS SENT OFF FOR A SECOND BOUT OF ARGEY-BARGEY!) CREDIT MUST BE AFFORDED TO GREEK GOALY ODHSSEAS VLACHODIMOS AFTER STICKING HIS LEG OUT FOR A MEMORABLE PRECISION SAVE ON SCOTT MCTOMINAY’S FANTASTIC EFFORT! PLUS, ALSO TO SCOTLAND’S GOALY CRAIG GORDON, (WHO WAS STANDING IN FOR INJURED ANGUS GUNN AND HAD NOT PLAYED A COMPETITIVE GAME IN 6 MONTHS), WHO SAVED 5 FIRST-HALF GOALS!  SO ALL THE EXCITEMENT CULMINATED IN A 3 – 2 WIN TO GREECE!  

HOWEVER, IN THE MEANTIME, OVER AT THE MATCH BETWEEN COPENHAGEN AND BELARUS, WHICH ALSO HAD A REMARKABLE TURNAROUND AND ENDED IN A 2 – 2 DRAW (AFTER COPENHAGEN HAD INITIALLY BEEN LEADING), SCOTLAND WERE ABLE TO CELEBRATE GOING THROUGH TO THE NEXT MATCH AGAINST DENMARK ON TUESDAY, WHERE, IF THEY WIN, WILL RECEIVE AUTOMATIC QUALIFICATION FOR THE 2026 WORLD CUP!

FIFA WORLD CUP EUROPEAN QUALIFYING : GREECE VS SCOTLAND – 15/11/2025