October 09, (THEWILL) – Scotland came from behind to beat Israel 3-2 in a tense match at Hampden Park in Glasgow on Saturday.
With a stunning free kick from 25 yards out, Eran Zahavi put Israel ahead after five minutes, but John McGinn’s brilliant curling attempt from the edge of the box brought Steve Clarke’s team level at the half-hour mark.
Yet, the tie would only last a minute, as sloppy defending from a free kick saw Craig Gordon parry a ball into Munas Dabbur’s path for a tap-in that restored Israel’s lead.
Scotland should have been level at halftime after Billy Gilmour was fouled just inside the box, but Ofir Marciano saved Lyndon Dykes’ penalty.
Dykes made amends 12 minutes into the second half when his outstretched leg diverted Andy Robertson’s cross home. The goal was first disallowed due to a high boot, but after consulting the sideline video, it was allowed to stand.
Then, McGinn’s corner was flicked on by Jack Hendry in the dying minutes, allowing McTominay to divert home with his chest at the back post to seal a significant win that puts Scotland on 14 points from seven games, four points ahead of their opponents in third place.
With six wins in a row, Denmark leads the group with 18 points. Yet, Steve Clarke’s team have one foot in Qatar after taking full points from one of the toughest World Cup qualifiers they have, with games against the Faroe Islands and Moldova still to come.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
