Scotland 3 Greece 1 - Christie, Ferguson & Dykes strike as Clarke's men mount unlikely comeback in huge World Cup win

THERE will be a Saltire draped on the Statue of Liberty.

Maybe even with a traffic cone stuck on her head.

Thank you!

It was a night of history for Steve ClarkeCredit: Getty

Lyndon Dykes sealed the win in added timeCredit: Getty

Because this win for Scotland at Hampden last night made you believe that some things are just meant to be.

It was a tragedy for the Greeks.

For Scotland, nothing short of a robbery.

But by time up in this World Cup qualifier it was just great to see a Scotland team for once win a game they really should have lost.

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When Kostas Tsimikas scored for the visitors with half an hour to go it looked like being a dismal night for Steve Clarke and his team.

But incredibly it turned out to be one of the biggest wins the Tartan Army had ever celebrated.

After an equaliser from Ryan Christie, Lewis Ferguson fired Scotland ahead before Lyndon Dykes sealed the victory in stoppage time.

The World Cup in North American is now so close you can almost smell the hotdogs.

Clarke trudged up the tunnel at half-time shaking his head.

By the end he was happier than ever.

Let’s get it right, his team were second best for the vast majopry of the game.

There’s simply no other way to describe it.

There was absolutely nothing to suggest this was going to be one of the big famous nights to look back on in years to come.

Right up until there was.

The first-half was such a tough watch.

Ryan Christie – in the team in the deeper role he plays for his club – tried to get on the ball and link the play.

But it wasn’t working.

Clarke – in record-equalling 71st game in charge – must have thought long and hard about playing him there given he’s resisted the temptation until now.

But it was yet another dull one for Billy Gilmour to take.

How many times can Clarke go into a big game with the wee man on the bench?

It’s now becoming the story of his international career.

The only positive for Scotland fans going into the second-half was that the game was still level.

Because Greece really should have been ahead.

The miss from No14 Vangelis Pavlidis after just seven minutes almost had to be seen to be believed.

It was virtuality as bad as the one big Chris Iwelumo had in front of the same set if goals back in the days of George Burley.

Maybe Scotland would have been jolted into life had they gone behind at that stage.

But the let-off did nothing to lift anyone in the dark blue shirt.

Greece sprayed passes around for fun and kept the ball easily, with Clarke’s side unable to get anywhere near them.

Their boss Ivan Jovanovic was almost more frustrated than the Scotland boss given his side didn’t make more of their possession.

Scotland fans just didn’t have anything to get up off their seats.

It was almost a catch 22 situation because they weren’t lifting the team and they team weren’t lifting them.

The referee didn’t help either.

Norwegian Espen Eskas is the man who had Aberdeen and Celtic fans scratching their heads with some of his decisions in Europe already this season.

He wasn’t any better here.

So Clarke made changes for the start of the second-half, then?

He turned to his substitutes and told a couple of them to get stripped for action, right?

Well, no.

There was a change with McTominay pushed into a more advanced role alongside Adams.

But Greece kept dominating the game after the break.

No7 Giorgos Masouras should have scored ten minutes after the restarted but blasted over after terrific set-up play.

It was another huge let-off.

A hamstring injury to Aaron Hickey did bring the first change in 57 minutes as Tony Ralston got thrown on.

It was at that stage that Clarke finally turned to Gilmour – and take off Gannon-Doak.

The youngster looked gutted by the decision and, as he sat down on the bench, he shook his head – something Scotland fans everywhere did too.

It was shortly after that the Greeks took the lead.

It had been coming so it was no shock when Tsimikas beat Angus Gunn with a shot from inside the box after 62 minutes.

It was just amazing it took the visitors so long to hit the net.

It called for a drastic response from Clarke’s side and it wasn’t long before one game, with Christie equalising within just two minuets of Scotland going behind.

A VAR check threatened to rule it out for an off-side decision against Grant Hanley who played a crucial part in the goal. But it went Scotland’s way.

With over 20 minutes still to play the Tartan Army hoped scoring once would lead to another.

Adams came agonisingly close to making it 2-1 with a turn and shot after 75 minutes, but the ball was deflected wide.

But the goal was on its way.

Ferguson won a free-kick when he was smacked in the face by Tsimikas and from the dead-ball situation the game was turned completely on its head.

The Bologna star found himself in the right place at the right time to blast high into the roof of the net.

Scotland 3 Greece 1 – Christie, Ferguson & Dykes strike as Clarke’s men mount unlikely comeback in huge World Cup win

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