With Saturday’s dramatic late comeback win in Norway still fresh in their minds, Scotland were full of confidence as they aimed to strengthen their position at the top of Group A.
And at a rather wet Hampden Park, it was the Tartan Army who took an early lead when a corner from John McGinn was initially cleared, but the soaking wet pitch held the ball up and meant it didn’t leave the area, allowing Callum McGregor to run on to it and shoot into the left-hand corner to make it 1-0.
This would prove to be the final action for over 90 minutes, though, as referee István Vad decided to suspend the match to allow the standing water to be cleared.
The next hour and a half or so was extremely frustrating for the home supporters, who were keen for a swift resumption. The match eventually restarted at 9.33pm local time, while most matches on the continent were in second half stoppage-time.
Lyndon Dykes came close to doubling the hosts’ advantage shortly after the restart, but his header went just wide, before Scott McTominay - who had scored a brace in each of the last two Euro qualifiers at Hampden Park - had a shot from inside the area pushed behind by an excellent diving save from Giorgi Mamardashvili.
Scotland had won both of their previous home head-to-heads with the Jvarosnebi, and they took a big step towards extending that record just two minutes after the restart when Georgia failed to clear their lines, and McTominay’s shot on the stretch from just outside the area crept into the left-hand corner for his fifth goal in qualifying.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia may be one of the hottest prospects in European football, but when he blazed his penalty over the bar in stoppage time it summed up a thoroughly frustrating night for Georgia, who remain second in the group and still without an away Euro qualifying victory over a team ranked inside FIFA’s top-100 since 1995.
It was a completely different story for a jubilant Scotland side, though, with the Tartan Army now looking well placed to book their spot at the 2024 Championships in Germany.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Scott McTominay (Scotland)
