Scotland leave it late to find way past 10-man Slovakia and boost play-off hopes

Scotland huffed, puffed but – oh so crucially – celebrated. Incredibly, for a team who five games ago looked to have no chance of World Cup qualification, the unlikely dream is still alive. Victory in Slovenia on Sunday will secure second place in Group F, with Gordon Strachan’s redemption from the point where his position was close to untenable extraordinary in itself.

Against 10 men, and having struck woodwork twice, it would have been so typically Scottish for a scoreless draw to play out. Instead, via the most scrappy of own goals from Martin Skrtel, Hampden partied in a manner once natural.

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