Chris Martin came off the bench to score the only goal in Scotland's 1-0 win over Slovenia at Hampden Park, keeping his side's World Cup qualification hopes alive and well.
The on-loan Fulham striker buried the ball past Jan Oblak two minutes from time, potentially saving manager Gordon Strachan's job in the process.
Prior to that key moment in the Group F showdown, Leigh Griffiths twice hit the frame of the goal before hobbling off and Oblak produced a couple of stops.
Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded with Sports Mole's live text coverage below
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the World Cup 2018 qualifier between Scotland and Slovenia at Hampden Park. This is very much a must-win game as far as the home side are concerned, having collected just four points from the same number of games so far as we hit the midway point on the Road to Russia. No such troubles for the visitors, though, as they occupy second place and are well positioned to reach the qualification playoffs.
Defeat for the Tartan Army this evening, or even perhaps a draw, and we will almost certainly be seeing the end of Gordon Strachan in the job he has held for the past few years. The former Southampton and Celtic boss has himself admitted that victory is required if his side are to keep alive their hopes of making it through to the World Cup finals 15 months from now, with a jump into third place their potential reward.
TEAM NEWS!
SCOTLAND XI: Gordon; Tierney, Mulgrew, Martin, Robertson; Brown, Morrison, Forrest; Armstrong, Griffiths, Snodgrass
SLOVENIA XI: Oblak; Struna, Cesar, Samardzic, Jokic; Kurtic, Krhin; Kampl, Ilicic, Birsa; Bezjak
Starting with a look at the home team, Strachan has brought back in his strong contingent of Celtic players for this vital showdown in Glasgow. Among those to come back into the fold from the 1-1 draw with Canada in midweek is Leigh Griffiths, who is one of just two players in the Scotland squad to have reached double figures this season for his club side. The other is Chris Martin of Fulham, but he is made to settle for a back-up role this evening.
Strachan admitted in the build-up to the match that picking his forward line for tonight's match was the toughest decision he has had to make since taking charge of the Scots, but Griffiths - with 14 goals so far this season at club level - was always the favourite to get the nod as the lone striker. Support will be provided by Robert Snodgrass through the middle, while James Forrest and James Morrison offer width on either flank.
Craig Gordon comes back into the side in goal, taking over from Allan McGregor who was given a chance to impress in the friendly draw four days ago. Scott Brown also returns to skipper the side in the heart of midfield, having made a retirement U-turn last year to help the Tartan Army on their way to Russia, while Russell Martin takes up a spot in the heart of defence alongside Charlie Mulgrew. James Tierney is a key player at left-back, on the opposite flank to Andrew Robertson.
Ikechi Anya was forced to fill in at right-back in midweek due to the lack of specialist players in that position, but with Tierney now available after being rested that defence has a stronger feel to it. The one player I have yet to mention is Stewart Armstrong, who comes into the starting lineup tonight for his international debut. That is arguably the headline news when looking at this Scotland side at a glance, as well as the decision to go with Griffiths in attack on his own.
Switching attention to the visitors, they boast three star players in their ranks. Fiorentina forward Josip Ilicic has shaken off an injury scare in time to start in a three-man forward line, alongside Valter Birsa and Roman Bezjak. At the opposite end of the field, Atletico Madrid stopper Jan Oblak - one of the finest keepers on the continent - will protect the goal, and ahead of him is the other key figure in Kevin Kampl of Bayer Leverkusen.
There is also a Scottish link to the visiting side (sort of), as Hearts full-back Andraz Stuana retains his place in the team. Slovenia are skippered by Chievo centre-back Vostjan Cesar, who has played a key part in what is a very strong defensive record thus far in qualifying. If the visitors are indeed lining up in a 4-3-3 formation, it suggests that they are here for a win and not simply happy to sit back on the point.
BENCH WATCH!
SCOTLAND SUBS: Hamilton, McGregor, Berra, D. Fletcher, Bannan, Ritchie, McGinn, Cairney, C. Martin, Naismith, Rhodes, Anya
SLOVENIA SUBS: Belec, Beric, Crnic, Koprivev, Krajnc, Mevlja, Nokakovic, Omladic, Sirok, Struna, Verbic, Zajc
Strachan has named what many would consider to be Scotland's best available side, but Tom Cairney will perhaps feel a little hard done by to be overlooked in the middle. The Fulham schemer performer well against Canada on Wednesday, setting up Steven Naismith's leveller, but he is made to wait for his competitive debut at international level. Some decent back-up options among the subs, particularly in midfield where Darren Fletcher and Matt Ritchie provide different alternatives.
Ahead of tonight's must-win match, Scotland manager Gordon Strachan admitted that choosing which player would lead the line was his toughest decision since taking charge of the national team. As expected, Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths - with 14 goals to his name this term in all competitions - is given the nod over the likes of Jordan Rhodes, Steven Fletcher, Steven Naismith and Chris Martin, the latter of whom is the only other to reach double figures in 2016-17.
GROUP F RESULT! A chance for Scotland to get their campaign right back on track this evening, then, in the final round of qualifying fixtures before the end of the domestic season. Slovakia take on Malta in Attard elsewhere this evening, but one Group F fixture has already concluded; England grinding out a 2-0 win over Lithuania thanks to goals from Jermain Defoe and Jamie Vardy. A full report from that match at Wembley Stadium can be found by clicking here.
Truth be told, England were always likely to canter through to the finals in that one available automatic qualification berth as they so often do. That is not to say Slovenia will give up hope of catching them with more than half of their fixtures still left to play, sitting five points adrift now ahead of this game in hand. Second place, and thus a likely spot in the playoffs, is certainly not a bad back-up prize for them, though, so they will be looking to cement that position tonight.
Scotland have it all to do, however, as they sit in fifth place and some nine points adrift of rivals England, while Slovenia are four points better off after playing the same number of games. In-between the sides is Slovakia on six points and Lithuania on five, meaning the Tartan Army can potentially move into third place should the result in Malta later today go their way, but they will not overtake Slovenia tonight no matter what the outcome in Glasgow.
Strachan's men have drawn one, won one and lost two of their four qualifiers so far, leaving them with a poor return of four points. It has been a grim period for the manager, who has had to fend off questions over his future since their last competitive outing against Slovakia in October, but he himself has as good as stated that he will move on if this result does not go his side's way. Three points and all of a sudden Scotland are right in the mix for second; defeat or a draw and the latest rebuilding job can surely begin.
Scotland had real hope of making it all the way to Russia in 2018 after missing out on last year's European Championship finals, losing out to Republic of Ireland and Germany to become the only home nation to miss out on a summer jaunt across the Channel. Strachan has not been able to build any real momentum since then, but he has been given support from former legendary player Kenny Dalglish, who claimed this week that the man in charge is the right person to turn things around in the remaining games.
Strachan has been in charge for four years now but has given fans little to get excited about in recent times, particularly since the middle of last year when coming off the back of successive wins over Gibraltar, Czech Republic and Denmark. Hope may have been provided thanks to those wins - the latter two, at least - though they have since won just one of seven; that coming against Malta away from home to kick off this latest qualifying campaign.
A 5-1 win in Malta was the perfect way to kick off this campaign that they will still hope ends in Russia a little over a year from now, but then came the sucker punch that was a stalemate with Lithuania. Top of the table ahead of that match at Hampden Park, Scotland failed to break their opponents down and even fell behind, only to finally make a breakthrough late on to rescue a point against the minnows - better than nothing in the circumstances, but it certainly felt like a defeat.
The mood was flat heading into the back-to-back away games with England and Slovakia in the space of a month in September and October, and that was reflected in the results - a couple of 3-0 defeats on their travels. Scotland also drew 1-1 with Canada in that aforementioned friendly in midweek, again failing to create much and having to settle for what was a disappointing result on the whole, even with a second-string side. Some of the 10,000 fans inside Easter Road even booed them off, making their displeasure known.
It is fair to say that the pressure is on the Tartan Army to get the job done tonight when returning to Hampden Park, then, knowing that group leaders England are next to travel here in just over two months' time. Lithuania (a) and Malta (h) are in the next batch of fixtures early next season, before games against Slovakia (h) and tonight's opponents Slovenia (a) to round things off. Some of the more confident Scotland fans will fancy their side to pick up enough points from those remaining games to take that second spot.
It has been a difficult first half to qualifying for Russia 2018 for Scotland who, since crushing Malta 5-1 in their opener to temporarily top the standings of goal difference, have drawn to Lithuania on home soil and lost heavily to England and Slovakia on their travels. That leaves the Tartan Army down in a lowly fifth place, only kept off the bottom by minnows Malta, but three points tonight and they will potentially be just one point off second spot.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS! These two sides have met on a few occasions before, most recently in a friendly just over five years ago when playing out a 1-1 draw. They also faced off in qualifying for the 2006 World Cup, with Scotland winning 3-0 in Slovenia and settling for a goalless draw in the reverse fixture. The Tartan Army are therefore unbeaten against tonight's opponents; a run that they must simply keep going tonight.
Slovenia are in a far stronger position than their opponents, having defeated Slovakia and Malta and earned a more-than-credible draw with England. They were held by Lithuania away from home in their opener, though, so it has not quite been perfect for Srecko Katanec and his men. The manager, incidentally, has spent the last 10 years coaching at international level with the United Arab Emirates, Macedonia and Slovenia, taking charge of his country of birth four years ago.
Slovenia are unbeaten in seven matches in all competitions now stretching back nine months, and they are up against bottom seeds Malta in their next match so a point would certainly not be the end of the world this evening. Scotland have only claimed wins over Malta and Gibraltar in their last 10 qualifying fixtures for a major tournament, meanwhile, showing just how bleak their current predicament is starting to look - they must beat one of the sides above them.
DID YOU KNOW? Slovenia have recently played out stalemates with Poland and South Africa, taking their run of draws to five in their last nine matches. In terms of their Group F statistics, they have kept a clean sheet in each of their last three to boast the joint-second best defensive record behind England, but at the other end of the spectrum they have netted just four all campaign - second worse only to Malta's one.
Slovenia passed up the chance to play a friendly in midweek, unlike Scotland who no doubt learnt a few lessons from their draw with the Canadians at Easter Road. Katanec's men last played in January, overcoming Finland 2-0 in another match that saw them shut out the opposition. Another clear sheet tonight will mean at least a point, which will certainly suit the visitors far more than their opponents, who desperately need a victory.
With kickoff now a little over five minutes away at Hampden Park, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps.
Gordon Strachan: "There's no grey areas to it. It's must-win. That's dealing with reality. We have to win. But sometimes when you have a challenge like that in life, it brings the best out of you. So we will have a team ready for that challenge of 'must-win' match. My only concern right at the moment is three points and getting to Russia - that is it."
Srecko Katanec: "We expect an aggressive opponent and we have to be the same. We must concentrate on the second ball. They are at home, so they will be the favourites, but we want the win because, in this group, one point is not enough. They are not as bad as their results suggest and some of the goals they have conceded so far have been unlucky."
Strachan feels that the pressure that has been building on his side will ultimately be a good thing, then, feeling that it can often get the best out of under-performing players. Opposite number Katanec feels that his side head here as underdogs, despite being four points better off that Scotland and nine places above them in the world rankings. Three points seemingly the target for both teams, so fingers crossed for a lively match!
Both sets of players are now out on the field of play, with the anthems due to follow. Only around 25,000 fans expected at Hampden Park this evening, by the way - less than half of full capacity. Six Celtic players return to the Scotland starting lineup this evening, with Leigh Griffiths - waiting to get off the mark for his nation - leading the line. Slovenia are boosted by the return to fitness of forward Josip Ilicic, who hobbled off for club side Fiorentina last weekend.
KICKOFF! A little later than planned, we are officially under way at Hampden Park where Scotland are looking to make a fast start in front of their home supporters - around 25,000 or so of them. Slovenia unbeaten in seven games, five of them coming in competitive outings.
SAVE! The ball is released early into the channel for Griffiths to chase down, but he is made to settle for corner. Snodgrass whipped it into a dangerous area and Martin was there to meet it, only for Oblak to keep out the shot from a few yards out.
SHOT! How about this for a start from the hosts! Tierney is given a bit of room to cut inside and get away a shot, which took a touch and looked like it may have been trickling wide. Oblak taking no risks and simply pushes it wide.
Really good challenge from Robertson, who as the last man had to get his challenge spot on. Slovenia prepared to sit back a little and hit their opponents on the break, but they could well have been behind just a couple of minutes it.
GOAL DISALLOWED! Slovenia have not settled well at all in these opening stages. Bojan Jokic is cautioned for halting the run of Forrest, and from the free kick the ball is flicked goalwards for Oblak to tip it over. The corner is spot on yet again, with Martin this time beating Oblak but rightly being denied for pushing.
Strachan will be absolutely delighted by the manner in which his side have started this crucial qualifier in Glasgow. The only downside is that they have failed to open the scoring, which could well come back to haunt them.
Things have become a little tighter in midfield now following that real bright opening spell from the Scots, who were twice denied by opposition keeper Oblak and saw a goal ruled out for pushing in quick succession.
Half a chance for Griffiths to get off the mark in a Scotland shirt, as he gets on the end of Forrest's delivery from the right. A little behind him, though, making his header - eventually off target - all the tougher to pull off.
Scotland need to maintain these performance levels. They have been on top right from the first whistle, with their opponents yet to put together a serious attack of any note as we approach the quarter-point mark in this qualifier.
SAVE! First chance of the evening for the visitors, as forward Roman Bezjak is played in around the back. No support up with him so he takes on the shot from an angle, but Gordon stood strong at his front post.
Robertson's turn to have a bit of joy down the flank, sending in a cross from the left which is again helped behind for a corner. All squad in the meeting between Malta and Slovakia, incidentally, as Jean Paul Farrugia has just cancelled out Wladimir Weiss's opener.
YELLOW CARD! Bostjan Cesar, the most experienced player on the pitch, has been shown a yellow card by referee Bjorn Kuipers for wasting time over a free kick and then saying a word or two too many.
Slovenia sitting very deep at the moment, with Mulgrew being allowed to carry the ball forward close to the opposition half before picking out a pass. A few groans around Hampden Park as the hosts pass it all the way back to Gordon.
The hosts caught sleeping by their opponents, with a knockdown at the back post being latched on to by Ilicic. The Fiorentina man got his contact all wrong and instead could only blast high and wide of the target.
CLOSE! James Morrison comes within inches of opening the scoring for the hosts when meeting a half-cleared Snodgrass cross and firing narrowly wide of the half-volley from 20 yards out. Scotland certainly worthy of a goal.
Griffiths starting to find himself joined by some midfield support in the box now, with Armstrong heading over a left-sided cross. The Tartan Army have played some nice football and deserve to be ahead in this contest.
The visiting side enjoying arguably their best spell of the game in terms of possession, but they are unable to carve out a chance when stationed on the edge of the opposition box. Ninety-six cap Cesar gives away a free kick, having already been cautioned.
OFF THE POST! Griffiths has got to score! Snodgrass with yet another delightful ball to the feet of his teammate near the back post, but he sends the first-time shot back off the frame of the goal from just a few yards out.
OFF THE POST! Superb cross from Birsa at one end, but none of his teammates gambled and Gordon collected. Scotland break and Forest is able to pick out Griffiths, who this time does better from further out but is again denied by the post!
Half time is now just six minutes away and Scotland are somehow still level. They have had a couple of shots brilliantly kept out by Oblak and also twice hit the post, while Slovenia have had just the one shot all half.
Birsa has a chance to prove his worth with a free kick from distance, which is sent straight into the Scotland wall. A complete hammer blow if the hosts were to concede after such a dominant first-half display in Glasgow.
It is the visiting side who are just about finishing the half the stronger of the two sides, belying what we have witnessed across the previous 40 minutes or so of the match. Scotland see out the pressure and win a corner, though.
Griffiths bravely goes for a high ball and takes a knee in the back from Oblak, leaving him down on the field and needing some treatment. The Celtic striker looks to be OK to see out the final minute of this first half.
HALF TIME: SCOTLAND 0-0 SLOVENIA
Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers blows his whistle for half time, meaning a frustrating conclusion to the opening 45 minutes for the hosts. There is no denying that the Tartan Army have been the side on top, hitting the frame of the goal twice and also seeing a shot or two kept out by opposition goalkeeper Jan Oblak.
Scotland had by far the better of the first-half chances, coming close to an opening goal with just a couple of minutes on the clock when Russell Martin met a whipped Robert Snodgrass corner into the box but was denied by Jan Oblak. Atletico Madrid stopper Oblak was again needed just 60 seconds or so later, this time to help behind a curled shot from Kieran Tierney which may well have trickling in.
Hampden Park was only half full for this qualifier, summing up the current mood surrounding the national side following a run of one win in seven prior to tonight, but those in attendance were out of their seats nine minutes in after Martin this time got the better of Oblak. The defender's powerful header was ruled out for a shove in the build-up, though, offering a sign of what was to come in a frustrating first half for Gordon Strachan and his men.
James Morrison almost picked his spot with a well-taken half-volleyed attempt, while at the other end of the pitch Roman Bezjak tested Craig Gordon - one of six Celtic players to return to the starting lineup - for the only time in the half. There was a sense that this perhaps is not going to be Scotland's night towards the end of the opening 45 minutes, as Griffiths somehow hit the frame of the goal when picked out by Snodgrass just a few yards out, before doing likewise moments later from slightly further out.
Twelve players apiece for both managers to choose from ahead of the second half should they wish, but in Gordon Strachan's case I imagine he will keep things as they are - his team were dominant in the opening 45 minutes. Visiting boss Srecko Katanec may be thinking of holding off until the hour mark before turning to his bench.
SCOTLAND SUBS: Hamilton, McGregor, Berra, D. Fletcher, Bannan, Ritchie, McGinn, Cairney, C. Martin, Naismith, Rhodes, Anya
SLOVENIA SUBS: Belec, Beric, Crnic, Koprivev, Krajnc, Mevlja, Nokakovic, Omladic, Sirok, Struna, Verbic, Zajc
RESTART! We are back up and running in Glasgow, where the two sides remain unchanged from the end of the first half. Griffiths was still holding his back when coming back onto the pitch, so that is one to keep an eye on.
Not great for Scotland to say the least, because Griffiths has clearly been unable to shake off that back injury and he is struggling to get around the pitch in his normal manner. Strachan will turn to his bench in the next minute or two.
SCOTLAND SUB! Steven Naismith, a starter and a scorer in the friendly against Canada in midweek, is on sooner than expected in place of Griffiths. Essentially like-for-like, with the Norwich City ace slotting in up top.
Slovenia win their first corner of the evening but it ultimately comes to nothing. The hosts yet to find any momentum since coming out for the second half, not helped by that injury sustained by centre-forward Griffiths.
Far more open feel to the game now, with Slovenia nearly getting in behind as they look for a breakthrough goal. The visitors will see this is a point gained, surely, as apposed to their opponents who need all three points.
Lovely little reverse ball from Armstrong through to Mulgrew, but the attempted cross is again cleared. Slovenia boast a very good defensive record, remember, keeping clean sheets in each of their last three qualifiers.
SLOVENIA SUB! Scotland sub Naismith has done well in the air since being introduced, without having any real rewards to show for it. Slovenia make their first change now; Miha Mevlja coming on for the recently-cautioned Roman Bezjak.
An hour played in Glasgow and this second half has certainly yet to get going. Scotland were deserving of a goal or two in the opening 45 minutes; not so since the restart, having failed to create any openings so far.
YELLOW CARD! Valter Birsa is the fourth Slovenia player to be shown a yellow card this evening, following a scathing challenge on Morrison. The forward will join skipper Cesar in sitting out the meeting with Malta in June.
Snodgrass's deliveries are always right on the money, but this latest one is well met by Oblak who is happy to punch clear. Strachan may well be thinking of another change now - creative midfielder Tom Cairney, perhaps?
Bit of a bombardment on that Slovenia goal over the past few minutes, but not enough to really trouble the backline. Oblak standing firm each time the ball comes into the area to frustrate the visitors, as we approach the final quarter.
Such a flat atmosphere inside a half-full Hampden Park this evening, but it could well have been a different story had Griffiths scored with one of his two big chances in the first half. Oblak punches yet another Snodgrass cross clear.
SLOVENIA SUB! A second change of the evening made by visiting boss Katanec, as he turns to Robert Beric in place of Valter Birsa for the final 20 minutes. Still awaiting the first real shot of any note in this second half.
Tierney the latest player to send the ball into the box from a wide position, but that man Oblak is there again. The Atletico Madrid stopper has seven clean sheets in his last 12 outings for his national side.
SHOT! Snodgrass decided to take on the shot from distance but got the contact wrong, failing to test Oblak from range. That was the West Ham United man's last involvement, as Anya is now on in his place.
CHANCE! Anya, on the pitch for all of 30 seconds, has just wasted a glorious chance! Scotland found some space in behind and the ball fell kindly for the replacement wideman, who failed to pick his spot when up against Oblak.
Scotland finally showing signs of life in the past five minutes or so, then, knowing that they really do have to go all out for the win in these remaining minutes. Such a frustrating evening for those 25,000 or so in attendance.
The Tartan Army's ninth corner is initially dealt with but Forest then gets the beating of his man and is on the byline with bodies to pick out. The front post was closed off, though, and Slovenia did well to defend the ball.
Morrison does well to power into the final third and so nearly slips it through for Tierney, but a Slovenian leg got to the ball first. Strachan about to make his third and final change of the night; possibly his final change as Scotland boss, too!
SCOTLAND SUB! James Morrison off and Chris Martin on in that final Scotland change, as Strachan goes with another body up top. Six minutes to find a late breakthrough; six minutes for Strachan to potentially save his job.
Naismith with an extremely weak effort, but taking it on was the right choice due to a lack of options either side. Those Griffiths near-misses in the first half look like proving costly, as Anya's teasing ball is cleared to safety.
GOAL! SCOTLAND 1-0 SLOVENIA (CHRIS MARTIN)
Huge, huge moment in Group F! Armstrong slots the ball through for substitute Martin, who brilliantly left Oblak stranded to his spot by picking out the bottom corner. Scotland's qualification hopes are not over just yet!
All of a sudden it will likely be backs to the wall for the hosts now, with three minutes of added time to come. Far from job done just yet for the Tartan Army, who must see out these final 120 seconds at Hampden Park.
FULL TIME: SCOTLAND 1-0 SLOVENIA
The full-time whistle is blown at Hampden Park, meaning a priceless victory for Scotland - their first in five outings. Gordon Strachan was surely on the brink of stepping aside after four years in the job, right up until the moment Chris Martin buried his chance to keep the Tartan Army alive and well in Group F.
That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events in Glasgow in this World Cup 2018 qualifier. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, while reaction from a select few matches across the continent can be found elsewhere on the site surely. Thanks for joining!
