Aston Villa captain John McGinn has pledged that Scotland will leave everything on the pitch in their quest to reach the World Cup, following a night of high drama and strange circumstances in Greece.
Chaos in Piraeus
Steve Clarke's side endured a turbulent match in Piraeus, needing heroics from 42-year-old goalkeeper Craig Gordon in his first match in six months to stay in contention. Despite his seven saves, particularly during a frantic first half-hour, Scotland found themselves three goals down before mounting an impressive fightback.
The visitors scored twice to make it 3-2 but ultimately fell short of completing what would have been a remarkable comeback. The drama continued after the final whistle as players and fans faced an anxious five-minute wait to learn Denmark's result against Belarus.
World Cup Dream Alive
When news finally arrived that Group C leaders Denmark had drawn 2-2 with bottom side Belarus, the Scottish camp realised their World Cup dream remained very much alive. The result sets up a winner-takes-all encounter at Hampden Park on Tuesday, where Scotland can leapfrog Denmark and avoid the play-offs with a victory.
"We have had so many highs and lows as a group and what this group gives is absolutely everything," McGinn told PA news agency. "We never give up. We didn't give up on Saturday night and we proved there is still loads of fight left in us."
Learning From Mistakes
The 31-year-old midfielder acknowledged that Scotland cannot afford another slow start against Denmark, having conceded inside seven minutes in Greece and been outplayed for large periods in both encounters with the Greeks.
"We knocked our heads together in the dressing room," McGinn revealed. "We know it wasn't good enough to start with. But the character from the boys not to buckle... It could easily have gone four, five, six."
He emphasised the importance of a strong start against the Danes: "Denmark won't give us the same opportunities to get back into the game. We need to make sure we start on the front foot, get the crowd behind us and give everything."
With a World Cup place at stake, McGinn summed up the squad's determination: "We know what's at stake on Tuesday night. Three points. The World Cup. And that's just absolutely everything."
