MCGINN JUST THE TONIC AS SCOTS RALLY

JOHN MCGINN rescued a point for Scotland with a spectacular late overhead kick against Austria at Hampden Park last night.

But Steve Clarke (below) will feel aggrieved his side did not come away with a win after they were denied a clear second half penalty when Ryan Christie was wrestled to the floor.

Two goals from Sasa Kalajdzic put Austria in front twice before the Scots battled back, with a first goal in eight years for defender Grant Hanley and then Mcginn’s late acrobatics (top).

Scotland are not renowned for either fast starts or strong finishes to World Cup qualifying campaigns. They have now won just three of their last 12 group openers and have not made the finals since 1998.

Yet given Austria would be most people’s idea of Scotland’s closest competitors for qualification from Group F, with both most likely battling for runners-up spot behind Denmark, this was a fair start.

Scotland have shown they are not going to be weighed down by history having broken one glass ceiling by making this summer’s Euros.

They forced the better chances of the two in a turgid first half but the stalemate was broken by Austria 10 minutes after the break when a long distance shot from

Florian Grillitsch was saved by Marshall only for Sasa Kalajdzic to react quickest to the loose ball.

Scotland were denied the chance of an equaliser a minute later when Stefan Ilsanker manhandled Christie to the ground chasing a floated ball from Stephen O’donnell – a piece of defending more Murrayfield than Hampden.

Inexplicably, the Spanish referee waved play on. Fortunately for Scotland the referee relocated his whistle when Kalajdzic turned in the ball a second time a minute later courtesy of a push in Keiran Tierney’s back.

But Hanley got on the end of Stephen O’donnell’s free-kick on 71 minutes to haul Scotland level.

Kalajdzic made one count in the to fire home in the 80th minute to restore Austria’s lead.

Then came Mcginn’s 85th minute leveller.