A 97th-minute goal spares Scotland's blushes against Liechtenstein

Stephen McManus's goal in time added to stoppage time turned imminent ignominy into unconfined celebration

* Ewan Murray at Hampden Park
* The Guardian, Wednesday 8 September 2010
* Article history

Would it have been worse than the two draws with the Faroe Islands in 1999 and 2002? Almost certainly: those were both away. The 1990 defeat to Costa Rica? They were at least good enough to be at a World Cup. The draw away to Moldova under Bertie Vogts? Not even close.

By general consensus, Scotland were seconds away from the most embarrassing result in their international history at home to Liechtenstein last night before Stephen McManus's 97th–minute winner. This morning, they will surely have the decency to be embarrassed at topping Group I of qualifying for the 2012 European Championship.

For much of the match, a draw would have seemed a mercy to the Scottish fans. Liechtenstein, ranked 141 in the world and with a population some 2,000 less than attended the game at Hampden Park, had taken a 46th-minute lead. Craig Levein's position as the Scotland manager, at that juncture, was even under serious threat less than a year after he accepted the post.

Kenny Miller's equaliser, a McManus header and Lithuania's shock win over the Czech Republic in Prague turned that scenario around completely, much to Levein's delight.

"We were able to retrieve the situation, that's the most important thing," said Levein, who lost his glasses while celebrating the winner. "It was a difficult situation, but their goal arrived early in the second half so we had plenty of time to retrieve things and I felt we deserved to. Results like that prove that you are never out of a football game. Maybe, at the end of our campaign, that goal will be looked upon as our most vital."

The Liechtenstein manager, Hans‑Peter Zaugg, after stressing he was "proud" of his players and with some justification, questioned why two minutes more than had been allocated for stoppage time was played.

"They showed five minutes and played seven," he said. "I could take half a minute, but no more. But we weren't cheated, Scotland scored a good goal."

Levein believed the extra minutes were justified. "The referee had every right to add on what he did," he said. "There was time-wasting going on."

Taken from the Guardian/Observer