Late Harry Kane goal earns England a draw in Scotland

Another unforgettable drama in the rivalry between Scotland and England. The Scots were a minute away from taking all three points against the Three Lions, but Harry Kane scored in the 3rd minute of added time and the match finished 2-2.

There were plenty of chances throughout the game, yet all four goals came in the last 20 minutes. Both goalkeepers were the key players until the 70th minute, and although there was no goal before then, the match was far from boring. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain opened the scoring for England: the Arsenal player showed good individual skill and finished with a shot from inside the box. Scotland did not give up, and Leigh Griffiths became the hosts’ hero. The Celtic forward scored twice from free kicks to turn the game around (87′ and 90′). The hosts could not hold out against the pressure in the third minute of added time, when Harry Kane put the ball in the net.

Slovakia and Slovenia both won their matches, so England’s place at the World Cup was far from certain. The Three Lions were in the first place with 14 points after 6 games, but second-placed Slovakia had 12. Slovenia had 11 points, while Scotland were 4th with 8.

England looked unlikely to miss out on the 2018 World Cup. Their next game was away to Malta, which promised an almost certain 3 points. Gareth Southgate’s side would then host Slovakia and Slovenia before the final match against Lithuania. Scotland faced the same opponents, but they could not afford to drop any more points, or they would miss yet another major international tournament.

How Group F finished

The match at Hampden Park on 10 June 2017 was played in front of 48,520 spectators. Afterwards England did exactly what the table suggested. They won 4-0 in Malta on 1 September 2017, beat Slovakia 2-1 at home three days later and Slovenia 1-0 on 5 October, and then won 1-0 in Lithuania on 8 October. England topped the group unbeaten with 26 points, eight wins and two draws, scoring 18 goals and conceding just 3.

Scotland kept their hopes alive until the final evening. Going into the last round they still had a chance of second place, but a 2-2 draw with Slovenia in Ljubljana on 8 October 2017 was not enough. Leigh Griffiths and Robert Snodgrass scored for the Scots, while Roman Bezjak struck twice for Slovenia. Scotland finished third on 18 points, level with Slovakia but behind them on goal difference, +5 against +10. Slovakia did not go through either, as they were eliminated as the worst-placed runners-up across the European groups.

The oldest international fixture

The 2-2 at Hampden added another chapter to the oldest international fixture in the world. England and Scotland first met on 30 November 1872 at Hamilton Crescent in Partick, Glasgow, and that match ended 0-0. In the reverse fixture of the 2018 qualifying campaign, at Wembley on 11 November 2016, England had won 3-0 with goals from Daniel Sturridge, Adam Lallana and Gary Cahill in front of 87,258 spectators. The sides met again at Wembley on 18 June 2021, in the group stage of Euro 2020, and drew 0-0.

England in Russia

Gareth Southgate’s side carried that form into the 2018 World Cup. In Group G they beat Tunisia 2-1 and Panama 6-1 before losing 1-0 to Belgium, finishing second. In the Round of 16 they drew 1-1 with Colombia and won 4-3 on penalties, the first time England had ever won a World Cup penalty shoot-out. A 2-0 win over Sweden in the quarter-finals took them to their first World Cup semi-final since 1990.

The run ended against Croatia, who won the semi-final 2-1 after extra time, and England then lost the third-place match to Belgium. Harry Kane, the scorer of the late equaliser in Glasgow, finished the tournament with six goals and won the Golden Boot as its top scorer.