Scotland secured their first Nations League victory in emphatic fashion, ending a long winless streak, as substitute John McGinn’s late goal earned a hard-fought triumph over 10-man Croatia.
McGinn pounced on a rebound after Dominik Kotarski parried Ben Doak’s shot, igniting Hampden Park with his 19th goal for the national team.
The win keeps Scotland’s hopes alive for retaining their League A status.
A victory against Poland on Monday could secure a relegation play-off spot in the spring, and potentially even a place in the Nations League quarter-finals or top seeding for the World Cup qualifying draw—provided Croatia loses to Portugal and a three-goal swing occurs.
For now, however, Scotland celebrated a much-needed morale boost after going 10 competitive matches without a win and securing victory in just one of their previous 16 games overall.
The game began on a difficult note for Scotland, as Croatia dominated the early stages. A string of self-inflicted errors gave the visitors several opportunities, including Andrej Kramaric’s shot deflected off Craig Gordon’s studs and Luka Sucic missing another chance—all within the opening 10 minutes.
The momentum shifted dramatically when Petar Sucic was shown a second yellow card for what appeared to be a minor challenge on John Souttar. Croatia, furious at the decision, saw their control wane, while Scotland regrouped and took charge after halftime.
Youngster Ben Doak became a growing influence, with Billy Gilmour and Ryan Gauld both creating opportunities in front of goal. Doak himself came close to scoring, narrowly missing a volley at the back post.
Ultimately, McGinn’s decisive strike sealed a memorable night for Steve Clarke’s side, offering hope for a brighter path forward.
Croatia remained a sporadic threat. Substitute Mario Pasalic got in from Luka Modric’s wonderful ball and ought to have scored, but dinked it just past a post. It was a huge let-off.
And it was punished as Doak got to the byeline and flashed a shot at goal. Kotarski flapped it towards McGinn, who was the hero once more.
Scotland looked for the second goal that would have given them the head-to-head advantage over Croatia, but it was not forthcoming.
Instead, they will go to Poland with their sights on a relegation play-off and relying on Portugal winning in Split to have any chance of an unlikely second-place finish.
Scotland get there, in the end
The red card will forever remain a pivotal “what if,” but Scotland will have no regrets.
This victory serves as a vindication of the struggles they’ve faced throughout the campaign. While fortune played a role, the team still had to rise to the occasion and deliver.
Before the turning point, Scotland endured a tough opening half, with Croatia dominating possession and exposing repeated errors.
Sloppy turnovers in dangerous areas left the Scots vulnerable and relying on luck to stay in the game.
The dismissal of Petar Sucic transformed the match entirely. From that moment on, Scotland grew into the game, although they initially lacked the composure and precision needed to fully capitalize on their advantage.
Despite flashes of promise in previous performances, this win offered a glimmer of hope for salvaging their Nations League campaign.
The jubilation at Hampden Park at full-time reflected the significance of the result, but the job isn’t done. Scotland must replicate this resolve and deliver again in Poland on Monday.