Scotland maintained hopes of finishing at the top of their qualifying group, and thus earning themselves a better seeding for the UEFA EURO 2024 group stage draw in December, with a 2-2 draw in Tbilisi against Georgia.
The Georgians, who Steve Clarke later described as the ‘best pot four team’, went ahead early on with Napoli winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia opening the scoring.
Scotland equalised for the visitors less than five minutes into the second-half with Scott McTominay notching his seventh goal in UEFA EURO 2024 qualification. McTominay described Georgia as ‘a disgrace’ in his post-match interview.
Kvaratskhelia managed a brace with just before the hour-mark with Georgia taking a 2-1 lead before Lawrence Shankland scored the equalising goal in second-half stoppage-time; his first goal for his country since scoring against San Marino over four years ago.
Spain cruised to a 3-1 defeat of Cyprus in the other match in Group A, going 3-0 up inside half an hour with 16-year-old Lamine Yamal getting on the score sheet alongside Mikel Oyarzabal and Joselu. That means the Spanish are now on 18 points at the top of the group with Scotland behind on 16.
If Spain suffer a shock 1-0 defeat at home to Georgia on Sunday evening in Valladolid then Scotland will have the opportunity to finish at the top of the group and increase their chances of being a Pot One team for the draw next month if they defeat Norway, who will be fully focused on a potential playoff for UEFA EURO 2024 during the March international break.
Luis de la Fuente’s side have found some real fluency in the last couple of months after winning the UEFA Nations League over the summer. Their 7-1 win in Georgia and then 6-0 defeat of Cyprus in September defining the group and their own qualification campaign.
