Striker sends Hampden into ferment with two bolts from the dark blue
Griffiths ends his scoring drought in dramatic style as Celtic contingent lead the way for Scotland
A stunning finale to last night’s World Cup qualifier at Hampden Park saw England’s clean sheet record ended by two dazzling Leigh Griffiths free kicks – which also halted his long scoring drought at this level – only for Scotland’s chance of a resounding victory to be wrenched from their grasp by Harry Kane’s injury-time equaliser.
It was an astounding conclusion to a contest in which England took the lead through substitute, Alex OxladeChamberlain, midway through the second half, as Scotland’s early efforts seemed to leave them drained. Then came Griffiths’s two bolts from the dark blue to send Hampden Park into a ferment.
England’s captain, though, had the last word, with a contribution which could extend Scotland’s exile from major tournament finals beyond the 20-year mark.
One of Gordon Strachan’s strongest cards was the abundance of Celtic players, men who had not experienced defeat in any domestic match during a season that saw them scoop a clean sweep of the Scottish honours. First glimpse of the team selections confirmed that the Hoops would provide the backbone of Strachan’s side, with Craig Gordon in goal, Scott Brown in one of the two midfield holding roles and Stuart Armstrong providing the link with Griffiths in attack. Kieran Tierney, playing with a specially constructed gumshield to protect him against further damage to the injury he sustained during the Scottish Cup final, was posted alongside the central defensive pair of Christophe Berra and Charlie Mulgrew, with Ikechi Anya at right back and Andrew Robertson on the left.
Strachan had repeatedly emphasised that the days of what he called “get intae them” tactics were in the past – and that in the past they were to remain – but the message must have gone astray before it reached the Scots captain, because Scott Brown’s first contribution to the proceedings was to take the legs away from Dele Alli at the cost of a caution which was bound to inhibit his combativeness for the remaining 87 minutes.
An opening surge of pace from the Scots could not be sustained under the warm June sun and after half an hour the stats had swung decisively in favour of England, who enjoyed more than twice as much possession. By half time they had overtaken Scotland’s corner-kick count but had failed to use their aerial advantage to any effect.
Indeed, the best performance of the first half was supplied by the increasingly impressive Tierney, whose understanding of the demands of his role on the left of the Scots’ back three was acute. Most of the Tartan Army foot soldiers would have settled for a contest that was goalless at the interval but the onus fell upon
The best display of the first half was supplied by the increasingly impressive Tierney
Strachan to provide both relief and inspiration to his hard-pressed players.
Five minutes into the second period, Jake Livermore’s speculative drive clipped Robertson and ricocheted off the outside of Gordon’s left-hand post. Paradoxically, this reprieve sparked the Scots’ first period of joined-up play and their best opportunity, when Griffiths cleverly played Robertson into a fine shooting position just beyond the England box but, with time to pick his spot, the Hull City full-back took a touch and struck his effort over.
That profligacy seemed to have been punished by OxladeChamberlain’s opener before destiny spun the other way as Griffiths not once, but twice, found the net from 22-yard free kicks. Then came purgatory as Scotland were branded by the mark of Kane, in a twist which added fresh meaning to the concept of injury time, at least for the stunned and haunted Scots.