European Championship Qualifying roundup: Scotland complete late comeback to stun Norway

Norway 1 Scotland 2 

Scotland travelled to Oslo looking to continue their perfect start to European Qualifying against Norway who had already stuttered with only one point from their first two games.

However, Norwegian morale may have been boosted by Scotland’s previous trip to face the Scandinavian side, where they lost 4-0 in 2009.

The hosts may have controlled the early exchanges, but against a side who only had 33% of the possession in their 2-0 win over Spain in March, it didn’t come as much of a surprise or concern to Steve Clarke’s men.

Scotland started to make inroads into the hosts’ box just past the half-hour mark, but with very little success, as both sides continued to cancel each other out.

Both sides were hoping for a better attacking showing in the second half, with only one shot on target in the first 45 minutes. John McGinn looked to try and spark the visitors into life with a shot from distance, but his effort failed to challenge Orjan Nyland as it was straight down the middle.

Just before the hour mark, there was controversy as Jack Hendry seemed to have brought down Erling Haaland in the box, but the appeals from the hosts fell on deaf ears.

After getting away from the previous penalty shouts, Scotland were once again under scrutiny as Ryan Porteous pulled the jersey of an opposing player.

Referee Matej Jug pointed to the spot, with Haaland firing Norway into the lead. This seemed to inspire the Scandinavians, as they continued to push for a second goal.

Yet, just as it looked like Norway had all three points secured Dykes appeared late in the Norway box to slot home a loose high ball.

Straight from kick-off, the visitors went back up the field with Dykes playing a pivotal role again, as his calm pass across the Norway box was sent into the same corner of the goal by Mclean.

Norway will be left frustrated by letting the lead slip so late on, as their hopes of ending a 24-year wait to play at the Euros took another huge dent.

Scotland would make it three wins from three and stay top of Group A, with Clarke looking likely to become the second Scottish manager to take the team to back-to-back Euros since Craig Brown.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Erling Haaland (Norway)

Azerbaijan 1 Estonia 1

Azerbaijan and Estonia played out a 1-1 draw as both sides earned their first points of their respective Euro 2024 qualification campaigns.

However, Azerbaijan are now without a win in their last 19 international qualifiers for major tournaments.

With Azerbaijan already posting two losses from as many matches played in this Euro qualification campaign, few home fans in attendance at Baku's Dalga Arena anticipated a party atmosphere by the final whistle.

And as might be expected for two sides that have never reached the Euros proper, this game started off slowly.

But Estonia capitalised on Azerbaijan’s despondency, and dominated the opening stages before going close after 20 minutes, when defender Rasmus Peetson forced a save from Shakhruddin Magomedaliyev.

Almost inevitably, Estonia finally broke through on 27 minutes, as striker Rauno Sappinen converted a cross from Martin Miller, planting a delectable cushioned header into the bottom-left corner of Magomedaliyev’s net.

Now looking stronger than ever, the Estonians continued to dominate as half time loomed, and very nearly doubled their lead after 39 minutes through Henri Anier.

However, the forward was thwarted by Azerbaijan’s over-worked stopper, who made a brilliant save to prevent the ball from finding the bottom corner.

Desperate to prevent yet another addition to his side’s sorry winless run in qualifiers, Giovanni De Biasi made a triple substitution at half time in an attempt to turn their fortunes around.

And it turned out to be an inspired decision from the home boss, as his side equalised after 62 minutes courtesy of one of the substitutes.

Anton Krivotsyuk was the man to grab the goal, as he rose highest to head high into the centre of the goal to draw Azerbaijan level.

As the game entered the last ten minutes it looked unlikely that either side would take all three points, with neither side managing to create any chances to trouble the opposition's goalkeeper.

The eventual 1-1 scoreline had a very predictable feel in the end, and while it already seems safe to say neither of these teams will be going to Germany next year, Estonia will end today the happier side on a personal level, having now lost just once in nine meetings against Azerbaijan.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Martin Miller (Estonia)

Montenegro 0 Hungary 0

Montenegro remain without a victory in a continuous national record of four home European Championship qualifiers following a goalless draw with Hungary at the Podgorica City Stadium.

Undefeated against Hungary in their three-match historical head to head matches, Montenegro began assertively, and were inches away from breaking the deadlock with only seven minutes on the clock as Adam Nagy inadvertently headed Marko Jankovic’s cross against the underside of his own crossbar with Denes Dibusz beaten all ends-up.

Hoping to avoid a third successive appearance in a play-off en route to a possible tilt in a fifth European Championships, Hungary struggled to test out Milan Mijatovic in the hosts’ goal as the experienced goalkeeper remained an untested spectator.

Determined to make their dominance count before half time, Montenegro again came close to opening the scoring, but the Brave Falcons’ all-time leading goalscorer Stevan Jovetic could only direct his strike off target.

Clearly unimpressed by his side’s non-activity in the final third, Hungary manager Marco Rossi changed up his front three shortly before the hour-mark, as the services of Kevin Csoboth and Laszlo Kleinheisler were called upon from the dugout.

However, despite further alterations from both benches, neither nation could carve out a significant decisive goalscoring opportunity throughout a scrappy second half, as a point apiece for Montenegro and Hungary leaves them two points behind Serbia at the summit of Group G - with the leaders not due to play their third match of the 2024 qualifying process in Bulgaria until Tuesday.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Willi Orban (Hungary)