A round-up of how those in the Everton camped fared on international duty on Tuesday
Scotland's players and staff celebrate at Hampden Park in Glasgow after beating Denmark 4-2 to qualify for the World Cup finals for the first time since 1998
Scotland's players and staff celebrate at Hampden Park in Glasgow after beating Denmark 4-2 to qualify for the World Cup finals for the first time since 1998
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A trio of Everton stalwarts were celebrating as Scotland secured qualification to their first World Cup finals in 28 years in dramatic fashion. Playing at Hampden Park, Glasgow, in their final European Group C match, the Scots faced Denmark in a head-to-head showdown knowing that they needed to win to take top spot and passage to next summer’s tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico while their visitors only required a draw.
Napoli’s Scott McTominay fired the hosts ahead with a spectacular overhead bicycle kick just three minutes into the contest but they didn’t have another shot on target before Rasmus Hojlund, who followed McTominay from Old Trafford on loan to Napoli, equalised from the penalty spot on 57 minutes after captain Andy Robertson of Liverpool had fouled Gustav Isaksen.
Scotland found some new impetus when Denmark’s Rasmus Kristensen was sent off on 61 minutes for a second yellow card offence with replays suggesting it was a soft booking.
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Substitute Lawrence Shankland restored the home side’s lead on 78 minutes with a glancing touch from point-blank range following Lewis Ferguson’s corner-kick, but their joy was short-lived as Manchester United wing back Patrick Dorgu restored parity again just three minutes later.
With 90 minutes on the clock, Scotland looked like they’d have to make do with runners-up spot and a place in the play-offs to try and secure a spot in the finals, but two sensational stoppage-time goals from a couple of their other substitutes put them through automatically.
In the 93rd minute, Kieran Tierney curled a long-range effort beyond his Celtic team-mate Kasper Schmeichel in the visiting goal and with the whistles ringing out from the stands, calling for Polish referee Szymon Marciniak to end proceedings, Kenny McLean spotted the Danish keeper off his line and chipped him from distance to send the stadium into raptures.
The Tartan Army’s slogan in recent times has become “No Scotland, no party,” and among the incredible scenes of celebrations – including musical accompaniment from the likes of the Proclaimers’ Letter From America and dance anthem Bits and Pieces by Artemesia – there were three Everton stalwarts among manager Steve Clarke’s coaching staff.
Steven Naismith, 39, played 140 matches for the Blues, scoring 25 goals, between 2012-2016; former England international Chris Woods, 66, spent 15 years at Goodison Park as goalkeeper coach between 1998-2013, while Alan Irvine, 67, is now in his fourth spell at Everton, having turned out 79 times and netted six goals for the club, between 1981-84 he is back as David Moyes’ assistant manager having previously fulfilled a similar role from 2002-07 and then returning to the Blues as the head of the academy.
There was also joy for Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye as he came on as a 63rd minute substitute for Senegal, who have already secured their place in next year's World Cup finals, in their 8-0 romp against Kenya in Aksu, Turkey.
The 36-year-old replaced Nicolas Jackson, but club colleague Iliman Ndiaye, who leads the way for the Blues so far this term on four goals having also been the top scorer last season on 11, was an unused substitute having played 82 minutes of the 2-0 defeat to Brazil at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium on Saturday when Gueye completed the full match.
Meanwhile, Tyler Dibling, Everton’s most expensive signing of the summer, was an unused for ex-Blues midfielder Lee Carsley’s England Under-21s as they won 4-0 in Presov against their Slovakia counterparts to move to the top of UEFA U21 Championship Qualifying Group D.
Divan Mubama – currently on loan at Stoke City from Manchester City – bagged a brace while Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri and Josh King, who came on as a substitute for Fulham in their 2-0 defeat at Hill Dickinson Stadium last time out, also netted.
But Dibling, who joined Everton from Southampton for an undisclosed fee understood to be around £35million, but has played just 62 minutes of Premier League football so far under Moyes, remained on the bench.