Arise Sir Steve Clarke 

Why Steve Clarke's insane Scotland World Cup qualifier record deserves credit

©TM/IMAGO

They have done it. After 27 years of hurt, Scotland have qualified for the World Cup after an unbelievable 4-2 win over Hampden Park. For long periods, Denmark absolutely dominated the hosts and Steve Clarke’s men looked destined for the play-offs. Scotland needed to win to ensure automatic qualification at Denmark’s expense and the two teams switched between top spot and second place during a pulsating 90 minutes. Scott McTominay scored arguably the best goal in Scotland’s history with an incredible bicycle kick after just three minutes as the home support erupted.

Denmark were extremely unfortunate to trail at the break but Rasmus Højlund equalised from the penalty spot-on 57 minutes. The visitors looked heavy favourites to secure top spot but the balance of the game switched when Rasmus Kristensen received a controversial second yellow on 62 minutes. Substitute Lawrence Shankland’s close range effort put Scotland ahead on 78 minutes but Patrick Dorgu equalised to propel Denmark into top spot. It looked to be another glorious failure for Scotland until Kieran Tierney curled a gorgeous winner in the third minute of stoppage time. And Kenny McLean provided the icing on the cake by lobbing Kasper Schmeichel from the halfway line to send Scotland fans into ecstasy.

Scotland end 27-year wait for World Cup

Clarke has received severe criticism during his tenure as Scotland boss but he’s now silenced his critics by leading Scotland to their first World Cup this century. The main criticism of Clarke revolves around his perceived negative style of play and those complaints held some weight as Scotland managed just 25% possession in the first half. But ultimately it doesn’t matter and Clarke will be the toast of the nation after booking Scotland’s place in next summer’s tournament in USA, Mexico and Canada.

The 62-year-old’s record in World Cup qualifiers is outstanding for a manager of Scotland’s standing. Clarke has remarkably only lost two World Cup qualifiers in 16 games and his record in the big games has ultimately led Scotland to the promised land. The former Kilmarnock boss boasts a record of 2.25 points per game in World Cup qualifiers, winning 11 of his 16 games. And Clarke’s qualifying record across all competitions stands at 1.92 ppg, which ranks second across all Scotland managers. Clarke has now led Scotland to three international tournaments and he secured legendary status on a famous night at Hampden.