Scotland 2-1 North Macedonia: Nations League – live | Nations League

John McGinn’s double gives Sebastien Pocognoli his first taste of victory at Hampden!

90 min +3: Another long punt forward, another claim for Gunn. That should be that, though everyone knows all too well what can happen in the final moments at Hampden in November.

90 min +2: Alioski hoofs forward. High. But nobody in white is near the dropping ball other than Gunn. Sebastien Pocognoli 60 seconds closer to his first home win as Scotland boss.

90 min +1: One McGinn corner leads to a second. McBurnie wins a header but there’s no power on it whatsoever, and Dimitrievski claims.

90 min: Ferguson finally takes the free kick. It doesn’t cause North Macedonia any trouble. But then Robertson wins a throw deep down the left. It’s flung in, and the presence of McBurnie forces a corner, which McGinn will take out on the right. There will be four additional minutes.

89 min: Ferguson is booked for taking his sweet time over the free kick.

88 min: All very scrappy. McBurnie is going nowhere out on the right when Musliu clatters into him. A free kick and a chance for Scotland to run the clock down.

86 min: Bardhi clears the Scotland bar from 30 yards. A poor end to a slalom of grace and power.

85 min: Bardhi whips a vicious free kick into a packed Scotland box. Gunn claims it with authority. Great keeping. Any fumble, or any flick-on, would have surely resulted in a second equaliser.

84 min: Ferguson is penalised for handling a left-wing cross, just outside the Scotland box. Before the free kick can be taken, Doriev is replaced by Nikolov.

82 min: … but Hampden remains nervous, and North Macedonia are getting some joy down the left. Doriev chases a flick-on and gets into the box first. He strangely hesitates, allowing Ferguson to get back and shepherd him away from a shooting position. This game is far from done … like any Scotland fan needs to be told that.

80 min: Ilievski makes good down the right and wins a throw deep in Scotland territory. North Macedonia waste the field position, much to Hampden’s relief.

78 min: Elmas and Rastoder make way for Omeragikj and Stankovski.

77 min: A ball dinked down the North Macedonia right. Maleski reaches it and hooks back. Tierney nearly deflects it into the net. Nothing comes of the resulting corner. That was almost a carbon-copy of the response to Scotland’s first goal, and the home fans exhale after a fashion.

76 min: Scotland make a double change, sending on Christie and Hickey for Gannon-Doak and Gilmour.

75 min: Scotland’s tails are up again, and McTominay is found by Tierney down the left. He looks to curl one into the top right. Too high, too far right.

fMcGinn banks on Dimitrievski diving, which the keeper does. The ball’s battered down the middle, and McGinn performs his eye-glasses routine once more! Hampden roars! Again! With relief as much as joy!

73 min: Play hasn’t properly stopped since the Gannon-Doak / Dimitrievski incident. And the referee is sent over to the screen! There’s no question: Dimitrievski made contact with the winger, needlessly so as Gannon-Doak was almost certainly not going to reach the ball rolling out for a goal kick. The ref points at the spot! Hampden roars!

72 min: McGinn spins into space down the left but doesn’t have the legs to power into the box and shoot. He looks for McBurnie in the middle, but the cross is blocked and the move fizzles out. But hold on …

70 min: McBurnie releases Gannon-Doak into acres down the inside-right channel. Gannon-Doak enters the box and prepares to shoot, but then takes a heavy touch. He tries to salvage the situation by attempting to round the keeper on the outside, but goes over as the ball rolls out for a goal kick. He claims a penalty but he’s not getting one.

69 min: A chance for McGinn to shoot from the edge of the North Macedonia box … then a split-second later for McTominay … but both are undone by bobbles. A mixture of bad luck, low confidence, and Scotland’s recent dismal record at Hampden.

67 min: McBurnie comes on for Adams, who can feel sore about being hooked if he so desires. He could feasibly have recorded a hat-trick of assists in this second half. He’s had a good game.

65 min: Churlinov and Gashtarov are replaced by Elezi and Maleski.

64 min: Doriev makes good down the left, getting in behind Porteous and whistling an inviting ball through the Scotland six-yard box. Fortunately for the hosts, there’s nobody in white to tap home. Hampden is getting properly irate now, a sense of what may be unfolding here slowly sinking in.

63 min: Robertson crosses from the left. Adams holds up the ball and lays off to Gilmour, who gets a shot on target this time … but this time there’s a goalkeeper in the way.

61 min: North Macedonia are suddenly playing with more confidence, the dam finally broken. Churlinov sends a couple of crosses in from the right. Porteous clears. Doriev shovels a pass down the inside-right intended for Rastoder. Gunn claims. Hampden grumbles.

59 min: Billy Gilmour’s relief didn’t last too long, did it?

Bardhi whips the corner hard towards the near post. Rastoder rises highest and glances an unstoppable header across Gunn and into the right-hand portion of the net! What a response by the visitors, who have scored their first goal in Group B1, and their first goal in a year.

56 min: Adams should have had an assist to his name already – Oh Billy! – but he’s got one now. And it was highly impressive work, holding off two opponents yet still having the strength and guile to poke forward for McGinn. However, North Macedonia aren’t done yet, because they go upfield, win one corner, then another, and …

No longer! But Dimitrievski could do nothing about this. Graham sends a long header down the middle. Adams battles two defenders on the edge of the D, holding the ball up before poking it down the channel for McGinn, who is clear! McGinn lashes low and hard across Dimitrievski and into the bottom right. Hampden roars at last!

53 min: Robertson battles to win a corner down the left. He swings it under the bar. Dimitrievski punches clear, albeit not convincingly, and the ball pings off the top of Graham’s head and out for a goal kick. It continues to be a banner evening for the Macedonian keeper.

51 min: That shock nearly doubles as VAR has a check for a North Macedonia penalty, Doriev dinking a cross in from the left, the ball deflecting off the sliding Graham and out for a corner. Did it hit Graham’s arm, which was sticking up in the air? Thankfully no, and nothing comes of the set piece.

49 min: Hampden was preparing to roar there, but the shock of that miss has really rattled everyone. Palpable shock.

47 min: Scotland should be leading. That should have been the perfect start to the second half. If the hosts don’t go on to win this, that miss will stay with Gilmour for a long time. You could see the blood draining from the poor chap’s face as he picked himself up from the turf, knowing full well what he’s just done.

45 min 40 sec: Musliu doesn’t deal with a ball rolling down the Scotland right and air-kicks. Adams chases the loose ball and cuts back from the byline. Gilmour can’t miss from six yards … but somehow does, leaning back and blazing over the bar. That’s up there with Chris Iwelumo, I’m afraid.

North Macedonia get the second half started. No changes.

HALF TIME: Slovenia 0-0 Switzerland. The other game in Group B1 is goalless at the break. The Tartan Army will be praying for a Swiss surge in the second half, in order to keep what little remains of those promotion play-off hopes alive.

Half-time postbag. “That save from Dimitrievski is up there with one of the best reflex saves I’ve seen. It barely got a mention in BBC commentary preferring to concentrate on the shot by McTominay. But what a save” – Tony Mason

“Andy Robertson gained his first Scotland cap while a Dundee United player, during the one and only season he spent at Tannadice, 2013-14. So we’ll always have that. But we also have the memory of his last game in Tangerine, the Scottish Cup final defeat to St Johnstone. St Johnstone, ffs! I’m still not over that. The Scotland captain and now joint record cap holder has probably consoled himself with Champions League and Premiership winners medals, whereas United spent much of the last decade in the Scottish Championship and competing in the Tunnocks Teacake / Irn Bru Challenge trophy. So I hope he’s happy” – Simon McMahon

A few boos as Scotland trudge down the tunnel. The hosts haven’t been great, but Dimitrievski has been the outstanding player, so it’s swings and roundabouts.

45 min +1: … North Macedonia nearly score! The corner, coming in from the left, is half-cleared by McTominay. Elmas shovels a pass down the inside-left channel for Bardhi, who spins and ripples the side netting. A big portion of Hampden thought that was in. It was close. Not sure Gunn was getting there had it been on target.

45 min: Porteous, facing his own goal with the ball bouncing down the middle of the park, and under no pressure, inexplicably batters the ball out for a corner. From which …

44 min: Robertson crosses again from a deep position on the left, but this time there’s nobody in dark blue in the North Macedonia box, and Dimitrievski claims without any drama. The Hampden Roar turns into the Hampden Harumph. The punters not 100 percent happy.

42 min: A free kick for Scotland out on the left, 4o yards out. Robertson curls in. It’s half cleared. Gannon-Doak races to meet the loose ball, and thrashes it into the crowded box. His shot is blocked and cleared, and though there are a couple of half-hearted claims for handball, neither the referee nor VAR show any interest whatsoever in awarding a penalty.

41 min: This is getting old. Gannon-Doak advances down the right and crosses low. Adams waits to tap in, but Dimitrievski gets down to dink the cross offline, and though Adams gets to the rebound, he can only attempt a backheel from a tight angle on the right, which wins a corner from which nothing comes. Dimitrievski, though!

39 min: Dimitrievski again! Adams releases McTominay down the inside-right channel and into the box. McTominay opts for power rather than a cute slot, and batters the ball straight at the keeper. Who is North Macedonia’s hero so far all right.

38 min: A simple punt down the middle releases Adams on goal. Adams reaches the edge of the box before aiming for the top left. Dimitrievski, who is putting showreel together tonight, sticks out an arm to divert the ball over the bar, a stunning reaction. Though it technically doesn’t matter, because the flag goes up for offside. But still, what a save!

36 min: A long pass for McTominay to chase down the right. Dimitrievski races out to the edge of his box to claim, and takes a whack for his trouble. McTominay was entitled to stick a foot in, the ball was there to be won. Thankfully there’s no lasting damage.