Scotland v Norway and more: Euro 2024 qualifying clockwatch – live | Euro 2024 qualifying
Key events
And away we go across Europe…
So, not much to play for beyond seedings and the like but some reputations can be made nonetheless.
In Glasgow, there’s a rousing rendition of Flower of Scotland, bagpipes and all.
That traditional anthem written in…er, 1967.
Mind, Fields of Athenry was from 1969. Aside from Freed From Desire, what’s the youngest traditional song?
Here, from my old mate Dale Johnson are the permutations for the day.
Confirmed for Euro 2024 this afternoon:
🇷🇸 Serbia have qualified and will be in draw Pot 3 or 4
🇺🇦 Ukraine are guaranteed a playoff (path TBC)
🇲🇪 Montenegro have been eliminatedFour automatic qualifiers to go, no one else can qualify today. But there will be pot action.
— Dale Johnson (@DaleJohnsonESPN) November 19, 2023
What’s at stake in the next games? Not much.
🇧🇪 Belgium must win to top Group F, which would seal a place in Pot 1. Draw/lose Pot 2 or 3.
🇦🇹 Belgium win puts Austria in Pot 2 UNLESS 🏴 Scotland beat Norway by 2+ goals, then Pot 3. Belgium draw/lose, Austria very likely Pot 1.
— Dale Johnson (@DaleJohnsonESPN) November 19, 2023
After Belgium won Group F…
Pot 1 in the Euro 2024 draw
🇩🇪 Germany
🇵🇹 Portugal
🇫🇷 France
🇧🇪 Belgium
??
??The last two places should go to England and Spain.
🇦🇹 Austria will take the last place in Pot 2 unless Scotland beat Norway by 2+ goals.
— Dale Johnson (@DaleJohnsonESPN) November 19, 2023
Shaun Tooze gets in touch, offering his hands across the border: “Some of us down here have nothing but hope and respect for the mad skirt-wearing b*****s from the north, so it just occurred to me how lovely it must be for the good folks up there tonight to be going into this game already safe and on the plane to another major tournament. It’s a beautiful thing I reckon.
“Like buses aren’t they, major tournaments. Good luck tonight, and next summer as well. From right next door, Cumbria. (And sorry about the ‘government’)“
From those earlier results, Serbia have joined the finalists.
🇷🇸 Serbia will play at EURO 2024!
Home draw against Bulgaria was enough for Serbia to qualify to EURO for the first time since 2000.
Serbia will probably be placed in Pot 4.
Due to this, Ukraine secured spot in the Play-offs, so they will enter them if they don’t defeat Italy. pic.twitter.com/6XX9NcudKh
— Football Rankings (@FootRankings) November 19, 2023
At Hampden, the bagpipe guitars of Big Country can be heard. It’s a night of celebration at Scotland Fitba HQ.
For Scotland: Jacob Brown makes his first start. The Luton striker is handed his eighth cap as Clarke made four changes following Thursday’s 2-2 draw with Georgia. Jack Hendry, Stuart Armstrong and Kenny McLean also came in as Ryan Porteous, Billy Gilmour, Ryan Christie and Lyndon Dykes dropped to the bench.
Some earlier scores:
Hungary 3-1 Montenegro
Serbia 2-2 Bulgaria
Belgium 5-0 Azerbaijan
Sweden 2-0 Estonia
Scotland v Norway teams: no Haaland
Scotland: Clark, Patterson, Hendry, McKenna, Taylor, McTominay, McGregor, Armstrong, McGinn, McLean, Brown. Subs: Cooper, Doig, Dykes, Ralston, Gilmour, Ferguson, Porteous, Shankland, McCrorie, Christie, Jack, Kelly.
Norway: Selvik, Ryerson, Ajer, Ostigard, Bjorkan, Berge, Berg, Aursnes, Bobb, Larsen, Donnum. Subs: Ola Solbakken, Myhra, Thorstvedt, Finne, Dyngeland, Gregersen, Wolfe, Strandberg, Pedersen, Vetlesen, Elyounoussi.
Preamble
A look ahead to the evening kick-offs across the continent and qualifying groups.
Group A: Can Scotland top their group? The lack of Erling Haaland for Scotland v Norway suggests they can do just that. What a victory lap that would be for Steve Clarke, having already qualified. Perhaps his team might bear the scars of a bruising, no-love-lost encounter with Georgia.
Group A: Spain v Georgia: Spain are also looking to top the group. A draw will probably do it for them, even if this will be an underpowered Spain team.
Group J: Perfect Portugal v Iceland. Can Roberto Martinez’s team complete their campaign with a 100% record? It seems likely. Was all that attacking talent wasted during the Fernando Santos years? Seems likely.
Group J: Bosnia-Herzegovina v Slovakia: Slovakia are qualified, while Bosnia are looking to the back-door route to qualification.
Group J: Liechtenstein v Luxembourg: The visitors have missed out on automatic qualification and must look to the repechage competition.
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