Young Scots held to draw in thriller

SCOTLAND were held to a draw in their Under-19s European Championship qualifying group by the unfancied Armenians in Luxembourg after Celtic kids Mikey Johnston and Jack Aitchison netted.

They now need a point from their final group game against Czech Republic on Tuesday to be sure of qualifying for the Elite Round for the sixth year in a row.

Donald Park’s side had started their campaign off with a win against the hosts, responding after going behind to defeat Luxembourg 3-1.

And the youngsters twice fought back from a goal down last night to lead 3-2, thanks to two penalties.

But they shipped a late equaliser to Armenia — who were trounced 5-0 by Czech Republic in their opening game.

Scotland fell behind early on to a goal from Vahan Bichakhchyan, who then regained Armenia’s lead soon after Parkhead starlet Johnston had levelled from Jordan Holsgrove’s corner kick.

But the young Scots were dominant and took command after being awarded two penalties.

Dunfermline striker Callum Smith was fouled and Aitchison equalised from the spot.

Johnston then netted the second penalty in the 69th minute for his second goal of the game, stepping up to convert after Norwich City’s Glenn Middleton was upended in the box.

The Scots were unable to hold on, however, and Karen Melkonyan restored parity with 12 minutes remaining.

The point means a draw against the Czechs on Tuesday will guarantee qualification, while a low-scoring defeat may be good enough depending on results elsewhere.