Group A leaders Scotland face Georgia in their fourth Euro 2024 qualifying match.

Their opponents have caused problems to Scotland in previous European Championship campaigns.

Here is the lowdown on Tuesday’s visitors to Hampden.

Manager

Georgia have a familiar face in the dugout in former Bayern Munich and France full-back Willy Sagnol. He knows all about Hampden, having lost there to a Gary Caldwell goal in 2006 in the Euro 2008 qualifiers. Sagnol started his coaching career with France Under-21s before spending close to two years in charge of Bordeaux. He had a brief spell as Carlo Ancelotti’s assistant at Bayern in 2017 and took charge of Georgia in February 2021.

Form

Georgia sit second in Group A after drawing with Norway and winning in Cyprus in their opening two fixtures and their good form stretches back more than 18 months. They have only lost once in 15 games – in a World Cup warm-up game for Morocco. They have won 11 of those matches with defeated opponents including Sweden, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria and North Macedonia. A 5-2 Nations League win in Bulgaria is arguably the highlight of that run.

Star man

Georgia boast a player who has lit up Serie A this season. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia won the title with Napoli and the league’s player-of-the-year award after delivering 12 goals and 10 assists in 33 games. The 22-year-old was even nicknamed “Kvaradona” because of the influence he had for a club who last won the title with the help of the football genius of Diego Maradona. The winger only joined Napoli last summer after returning to Georgia to sign for Dinamo Batumi after leaving Rubin Kazan in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He has 10 goals in 21 internationals and is undoubtedly the one to watch from the visitors to Hampden.

Past meetings

Scotland have beaten Georgia twice in Glasgow but lost both of their away fixtures, each of which were arguably the most costly games in Scotland’s near misses in qualification attempts for the European Championships of 2008 and 2016. Both home games have been narrow wins – Scotland needed an 89th-minute strike from Craig Beattie to seal a 2-1 victory in Alex McLeish’s first game in charge in 2007 and an own goal at Ibrox in a 1-0 victory in October 2014.

Doug Watson is relishing his interim stint as Scotland head coach and has seen enough from the players so far to believe they can qualify for this year’s World Cup in India.

The South African, who also remains head coach of Auckland Aces at club level, took on the temporary role in charge of the Scots in April and will remain at the helm until the end of July.

Watson will lead the team at the World Cup qualifying event which gets under way in Zimbabwe on Sunday and then the 2024 T20 World Cup European qualifiers in Edinburgh next month.

“I’ve got this tournament and the next tournament and then we’ll reassess,” Watson told the PA news agency.

“I’ve been fortunate that Auckland have given me time off to come and do this role.

“It worked out perfectly in terms of timing because the New Zealand season finished at the end of April so that freed me up to spend three to four months out of New Zealand in this job.

“I played cricket in Scotland many years ago and it’s been great to be back. I’ve been really taken care of.

“It’s been a great experience so far, it’s been busy. The squad have been brilliant to work with.”

The Scots play their first match of the qualifiers against Ireland on Wednesday, while they are also in a five-team section with United Arab Emirates, Oman and Sri Lanka.

The top three teams go through to the Super Six stage where there will be two World Cup places up for grabs.

“Yes, definitely, without a shadow of a doubt they’ve got it in them to get to the World Cup,” said Watson.

“We know we’re going to be up against some outstanding teams and everyone’s got the same goal of wanting to be in the top two.

“But Scotland have done really well over the last two to four years. Finishing top of the World Cricket League shows they’re in a good space.

“Now it’s a case of taking everything they’ve learned over the past few years into the tournament. At this stage leading into a tournament of this magnitude I don’t have to drive or motivate the players.

“They’re all motivated themselves and they’re taking on leadership and preparation. We’re pretty clear on what we want to do but it’s about staying calm and present and making sure we don’t look too far ahead and that we just focus game by game.”

Kenny McLean savoured a special moment in his career after his last-gasp winner earned Scotland a crucial three Euro 2024 qualifying points from a 2-1 victory in Norway.

McLean struck a composed 89th-minute finish with his right foot 10 minutes after coming off the bench and two minutes after Lyndon Dykes had cancelled out Erling Haaland’s 61st-minute opener from the penalty spot.

Left midfielder McLean said: “It was pretty special, a really good moment for everyone involved and obviously for the fans that travelled – it was amazing, I can hear them outside now.

“Obviously I have only had the San Marino goal previously so I am delighted to score such a meaningful goal.

“I don’t know if I was too happy with Dykesy – setting me up on my right – but thankfully it worked. It doesn’t come out much but thankfully it paid off.”

McLean was part of a triple change from manager Steve Clarke which also saw Billy Gilmour and Stuart Armstrong come on, after Liam Cooper had earlier replaced the fatigued Kieran Tierney.

The Norwich player said: “The manager is constantly going about the squad, it’s a squad game and that’s what we are always about.

“The majority of times we make four or five subs so everyone needs to be ready and thankfully the lads that came on were.

“We have worked for the last couple of weeks together, we had the camp in Spain and worked hard throughout, so to get the rewards is excellent.”

Dykes was delighted with his goal and assist after a challenging night up front on his own in temperatures of about 30 degrees at kick-off.

The QPR striker said: “It was a tough game. They played well. We didn’t play as well as we wanted to play but I was waiting for that opportunity all night and I was just happy to see it go in.

“It’s a hard position sometimes, it doesn’t always go your way. Balls were coming up to me, flying everywhere and they were probably getting the better of me. But I was trying to keep my head and wait for the opportunity.

“I have to keep rolling on and hopefully when the chances come, they go in because the ball rolling in that goal was the slowest thing I have ever seen in my life and I was having a heart attack. I was just happy to see it go over the line.

“And obviously when Kenny scored, it was the icing on the cake.”

Scotland extended their lead at the top of Group A but face a quick turnaround before Tuesday’s visit of Georgia.

McLean said: “It was a massive step for us in the group but we have a lot of work to do and we have a game in a few days.

“We will enjoy this now but we need to go and recover. Nobody wants to hear it but that’s what we have to do.”

Scotland manager Steve Clarke hailed the character and depth in his squad following their sensational late Euro 2024 qualifying comeback in Oslo.

Clarke’s men stunned Norway with an unlikely turnaround as goals from Lyndon Dykes and substitute Kenny McLean in the final four minutes of normal time earned the Group A leaders a 2-1 victory.

McLean was one of three changes Clarke made in the 79th minute and it proved just in time after Scotland struggled to pose a threat and fell behind to Erling Haaland’s 61st-minute penalty after the striker went down when Ryan Porteous got hold of his shirt.

With Spain not playing, Scotland extended their lead at the top of Group A and moved eight points ahead of third seeds Norway.

Clarke said: “I was pleased with the performance, we were disciplined and passed it quite well at times.

“Obviously, you have got to soak up a lot of pressure against a good Norwegian team. And we never stopped believing. We keep going to the end and got our rewards.

“It says a lot about the character, the spirit, the quality from the bench. One of the things I keep banging on about with this group of players, the quality we have got, they want to do well for their country.

“And when I turn to the bench and I know I need to make changes to freshen it up, I am putting top-quality players on the pitch.

“It was just about getting the timing right. After losing the goal, I felt it was better just to stay in the fight for a little bit to make sure the game didn’t run away from us.

“After that we had to chase the game, it was pretty logical – you are going to take off a defender and push John McGinn a little bit further forward.

“We brought Kenny to the game, Billy Gilmour to the game, brought Stuart Armstrong to the game, fresh legs to try and get forward and they were involved in most of the best things towards the end of the game.

“Even Dominic (Hyam) comes on at the end and sticks his head on a couple. Congratulations to Dominic, first cap, not a bad place to do it, not a bad score.”

Scotland’s win already puts them in a strong position with a perfect record ahead of Tuesday’s visit of Georgia, which will mark the halfway point in the campaign.

Clarke said: “If we want to qualify for major tournaments, you know you have to go away from home against good teams and pick up points. This is three points which is big but we have to go again.

“They are all in there recovering in an ice bath and we have to make sure we get three points on Tuesday to capitalise. It sets us up nicely for Tuesday, I am not looking beyond that.”

Porteous is suspended for Tuesday after picking up a yellow card but Kieran Tierney could feature despite hobbling off, not long after the opener.

When asked how the Arsenal defender was, Clarke said: “Tired. Just tired. He didn’t join us for the training camp. Not released by his club.

“He joined us at the start of this week and felt a bit of tightness in his quad so we just protected him all week.

“To get a good hour out of the lad was fantastic and shows that everybody is prepared to put their body on the line. And then we are bringing on Liam Cooper who is a top-quality defender.”

Norway manager Stale Solbakken – whose side were left bottom of the group – bemoaned the turning point of the game when his defender’s interception fell for Dykes to nudge home.

“It was an accident for Leo Ostigrad. I think it was cramp in both legs at the same time,” he said. “That’s how it is, we can’t blame him for that. I will have to take the blame for not substituting him if it was like that.

“We are in a very difficult position.”

Scotland manager Steve Clarke stressed the need to focus on “Norway the team” rather than become obsessed with trying to stop Erling Haaland.

Haaland goes into Saturday’s Euro 2024 qualifier in Oslo on the back of a 52-goal, treble-winning season with Manchester City and is set to make his first international appearance since September in front of an expectant crowd at the Ullevaal Stadium.

Much of the build-up to the game has been dominated by talk of the 22-year-old striker’s threat, but Clarke and defender Liam Cooper were careful not to overlook the rest of the Norway team – or give them any cause to feel under-appreciated.

Asked about trying stop Haaland, Clarke said: “As we always do, we concentrate on ourselves. We prepare properly for the game, we respect our opponents. We play Norway the team, and hopefully Scotland the team are a little bit better on the night.”

Leeds defender Cooper provided a similar response, saying: “With Erling, his goals and achievements speak for themselves. He has had an unbelievable season at club level, but I don’t like to disrespect the Norway team, they have a lot of good players and to put all our focus on one player, I think that would be wrong of us.

“We obviously know what Erling brings, he is an unbelievable player and unbelievable goalscorer, but we have to pay a lot of respect to the rest of the team as well.

“Obviously (Martin) Odegaard is a very good player, he has also been in a title challenge this year. They have got amazing players. We have to keep Erling and Odegaard in check, but there’s a lot of other players to worry about as well.”

Cooper played as Haaland netted twice at Elland Road earlier this season and, asked what made the forward such a difficult opponent, the 31-year-old said: “For one, he doesn’t need many chances. So you can almost guarantee if he does get a chance it will go away.

“He is strong, he is powerful and he is always on your shoulder, always looking to get in behind. Obviously if we are not on top of our game and we are not cautious of that, he can damage us and he can hurt us.

“But I don’t want to disrespect the rest of the team. We have got to look after the whole of the Norway team and that’s the way it will be.

“We are going to need a big performance, especially a defensive performance. Hopefully we can get that, the boys are dialled in, and get a positive result.”

Scotland go into the game on the back of beating Group A favourites Spain 2-0 at Hampden in March to make it a perfect start to the campaign, while Norway sit on one point from their two matches.

Asked if his Scotland side now expect to win these types of games, Clarke said: “I think we should come with confidence. Obviously we had a good March and we have had a good run of wins in competitive fixtures.

“But we know we are coming to a difficult place. We always respect our opponents, we try and play as well as we can, and hopefully we can add to the points tally.

“It’s a different challenge, it’s an away game. Norway are a different team from Spain, they play a different way.

“They put you under a little bit more pressure maybe. Spain will pass the ball and pass the ball and try to win the game with possession. Norway can play with the ball because they have good ball players, but they can also be quite direct as well.”

Clarke reported a healthy squad following a Spanish training camp and this week’s work at Lesser Hampden.

“Full squad’s here, 25 players have travelled,” he said. “I have got a big decision, I have got to leave two out of the 23, so that’s my next job.”

Scotland defender Jack Hendry is relishing the prospect of facing Erling Haaland after enjoying previous battles against some of the world’s best forwards.

Hendry has a good chance of starting in Saturday’s Euro 2024 qualifier in Oslo despite missing Scotland’s opening wins with injury. Grant Hanley and Scott McKenna are absent with injuries ahead of this month’s double header.

Haaland also missed the March qualifiers through injury and will be determined to add to his 53 goals for club and country this season after helping Manchester City clinch the treble last weekend.

When asked how you stop the striker, Hendry said: “I think we will keep that amongst ourselves in the group, I don’t want to give too much away. But a lot of people have tried to stop him this season and they haven’t done.

“He is an amazing player with an amazing record this season but we will taking a look at the full team and trying to combat that.

“We will do our best but it’s something I will definitely be relishing if I get called upon, to try and get the better of him.

“Obviously he has had an amazing season and of course that’s the type of players you want to test yourselves against. If I am called upon it’s a game I will be really looking forward to, testing yourself against the best in the world.

“I think we concentrate on ourselves, we did that for the first two games. If we keep on focusing on ourselves that will stand us in good stead.”

The Club Brugge defender faced City last season in the Champions League and also Paris St Germain, helping his side to a 1-1 draw against a forward line of Neymar, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.

“Not just big names, every game I am going into, I will have a quick look at the strikers I am coming up against, what their movements etc might be,” he said.

“Like Haaland, with every other player, I will study them and see how they are going to play and come up with a best solution on how to deal with them.

“But playing against top strikers like Mbappe will give me great experience going into these type of contests.

“The more games you play at that level the more confidence it gives you and I am lucky enough to have played quite a few games at that level now.

“I know that’s the level I can play at and I get a real excitement out of coming up against these type of players. It’s something the full team are looking forward to.”

Hendry missed three months of the season with a knee injury shortly after facing Benfica in the Champions League knockout stages in February, but he was back in the team for the final three games of the season.

Hendry, who had a loan spell at Serie A side Cremonese earlier in the season, said: “It was vital for me on a personal note at Club Brugge but also to now come into the international set-up, those games were vital for me to get that rhythm.

“They couldn’t have come about at a better time for Scotland. It was kind of an up-and-down season for me but I made sure I worked hard at Club Brugge to get those games and get those minutes and it has paid off coming into these games.

“I like to put myself out the comfort zone and went to play in Italy. The chance came up, it was probably just the wrong club at the wrong time, but I learnt a lot from it.

“Obviously there have been a few managerial changes at the clubs I have been at this season so it’s not been easy, with a couple of niggling injuries that recurred a couple of times. But that’s part and parcel of being a footballer and I still managed to get a few games under my belt.”

Yannic Cariah claimed four wickets while captain, Shai Hope, and Romario Shepherd both hit fifties as the West Indies defeated Scotland by 91 runs on Tuesday in their first warm-up game before the ICC World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe.

The Scots won the toss and put the West Indians in to bat at the Harare Sports Club.

Hope top scored with a 65-ball 57 while Shepherd provided some valuable lower-order hitting with a brisk 34-ball 53 as the Windies posted 264 in 48.4 overs.

Hope’s knock contained six fours while Shepherd hit five fours and three sixes.

Chris Sole took 4-50 from his 10 overs while Jack Jarvis and Chris Greaves each claimed three wickets for Scotland.

The West Indies then successfully defended the total, needing only 33.5 overs to bowl the Scots out for 173.

Cariah produced an excellent spell of bowling to claim 4-46 in nine overs while Roston Chase took 3-43 from 5.5 overs.

Brandon McMullen and Matthew Cross were the chief scorers for Scotland with 38 and 35, respectively.

The West Indies next warm-up match will take place at the same venue on Thursday against the UAE.

Former Scotland striker Kenny Miller believes the national team have strong options up front as they approach their latest qualifiers amid the absence of Che Adams.

Adams has been a key player in recent times but Lyndon Dykes started up front in Scotland’s 2-0 win over Spain after the Southampton forward suffered an injury in the opening Euro 2024 qualifying win against Cyprus.

Dykes has scored eight goals for Scotland and Miller feels there are other serious alternatives for Steve Clarke ahead of Saturday’s clash with Norway in Oslo and the visit of Georgia three days later.

Miller told the PA news agency: “Lyndon was crucial to the team making it to the last Euros, sometimes on his own and sometimes with Che.

“I think Lyndon had it nailed, Lyndon had the jersey to himself but Che came in and did very well when he was injured.

“It’s good Steve has the options up front.

“Jacob Brown has been a support act but we have Kevin Nisbet and Lawrence Shankland who have had good seasons, particularly Lawrence at Hearts. So there’s a lot of options.”

Miller, who scored 18 goals for his country, added about the Hearts forward: “I think he’s a really well-rounded striker with a really good level of goals.

“He’s had a wonderful season – 28 goals is a wonderful return for a striker outwith the Old Firm.

“But not just that, I think his all-round game is pretty good.

“He seems to have accepted the responsibility of the captain’s armband in Craig Gordon’s absence really, really well. “It’s a big responsibility, one that’s not affected him in a negative way. If anything it has affected him in a positive way.”

Scotland have a guaranteed play-off place as a fall-back option but Miller is confident they can finish in the top two of Group A following their flying start.

Clarke took the squad on a training camp to Spain last week to prepare for the double-header and further foment the spirit among the players.

Miller, who was speaking after taking part in a McDonald’s Fun Football session with children in Glasgow, said: “People talk about this club atmosphere but what it means is that the team has been doing well and everyone wants to be part of it and everyone is looking forward to going away.

“The group do look like they have got this spirit and togetherness but it comes from what they have created on the pitch.

“It’s been really good performances and really good results, none more so than the last game against Spain where the lads were excellent and really deserved the win.

“And what it has done is put us in a really strong position going into these qualifiers.

“That means we can potentially forget about this play-off position and get there automatically, which I do believe we can.

“I don’t want to put too much pressure on but I do believe we will.”

Scotland assistant coaches Steve Tandy, John Dalziel and Pieter de Villiers have followed the lead of head coach Gregor Townsend in extending their contracts until April 2026.

Defence coach Tandy, forwards coach Dalziel and scrum coach De Villiers all joined the national team set-up in 2020 and have become valued members of the backroom staff.

Their new deals have been announced just weeks after it was confirmed that Townsend, whose initial contract was due to expire after the World Cup this autumn, would be remaining in his post for a further three years.

“The news that Steve, John and Pieter have extended their contracts is a real boost,” Townsend told Scottish Rugby. “They are all key members of the coaching group and provide invaluable support to our players and myself.

“Since coming on board all three have made a hugely positive impact to not only their individual areas but also to our all-round game and the environment. I’d like to thank Scottish Rugby for their support in keeping this coaching group together for the next few years.

“We enjoy working with each other and are determined to do all we can to bring out the best in this special squad of players.”

Glasgow Warriors assistant coach Pete Horne and former All Blacks assistant coach Brad Mooar both joined Scotland’s coaching group as assistant attack coaches for the Six Nations campaign earlier this year, and they will continue their roles during the build-up to the World Cup and into the tournament itself.

“It’s great news that we’ve been able to secure the services of Pete and Brad for the Rugby World Cup too,” said Townsend. “They both contributed to our group hugely during the Guinness Six Nations period.

“I’m looking forward to working with them again on the attack side of our game and helping improve the skills and decision making of our players.”

Mental skills coach Aaron Walsh will also continue working with Scotland for the World Cup.

The squad are due to meet up this week to begin preparations for the World Cup in France, albeit several players will not join up with the group initially due to late finishes to the season with their clubs.

Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland and his Hibernian counterpart Kevin Nisbet have both been included in the Scotland squad for the next month’s Euro 2024 qualifiers against Norway and Georgia.

The Edinburgh-based pair take the places of Stoke’s Jacob Brown, who missed the end of the Championship season with a hamstring issue, and Southampton forward Che Adams, who recently suffered a recurrence of the ankle injury he sustained in Scotland’s win over Cyprus.

Shankland, who previously made four appearances in 2019 and 2020, was called back into the fold for the Spain game in March and he has kept his place at the end of a season in which he has scored 28 goals for Hearts.

Nisbet, who won all of his 10 caps in 2021, is recalled for the first time since damaging his anterior cruciate ligament in February 2022. The 26-year-old has scored 12 goals for Hibs since returning to action in December.

Rangers defender John Souttar is recalled after missing much of the season through injury. The 26-year-old, who has not played for the national team since last summer’s Nations League defeat in Ireland, takes the place of Norwich City centre-back Grant Hanley, who has been sidelined with an Achilles problem since early April.

Blackburn centre-back Dom Hyam has retained his place after earning a late call-up for the last camp in March, while Steve Clarke has opted for consistency in the goalkeeping department with Angus Gunn, Zander Clark and Liam Kelly again called up in the absence of Craig Gordon, who remains sidelined as he tries to fight back from a double leg-break sustained on Christmas Eve.

Scotland, who are top of Group A with two wins from their two games so far, face Norway in Oslo on Saturday, June 17 before welcoming Georgia to Hampden three days later.

The UK and Ireland submitted an official bid to host Euro 2028 on Wednesday, with the homes of Everton, Tottenham and Newcastle United among those proposed to be used.

Overall, 10 stadiums are included in the bid; Wembley Stadium, Hampden Park, Principality Stadium, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Etihad Stadium, St James' Park, Villa Park, Hampden Park, Aviva Stadium, Casement Park and Everton's new stadium, which is still under construction.

England has previously hosted the 1966 World Cup and Euro 96, while multiple games were played at Wembley Stadium and Hampden Park during Euro 2020.

Women's Euro 2022 was also hosted in England, with the hosts ultimately winning the trophy.

The bid claims the UK and Ireland is: "Committed to delivering a record-breaking tournament with more tickets than ever before to grow a more diverse and inclusive game," saying there will be almost three million tournament tickets available.

UEFA also confirmed it had received bid dossiers from Turkey to host either Euro 2028 or 2032, and Italy for Euro 2032.

The UEFA Executive Committee will vote in October to decide who has won the right to host both tournaments.

Rodri described Scotland's style of play as "rubbish" after Spain fell to a surprise 2-0 defeat in Tuesday's Euro 2024 qualifier at Hampden Park, accusing Steve Clarke's hosts of time-wasting.

Scott McTominay scored early in both halves as Scotland maintained their perfect start in Group A, dealing Luis de la Fuente his first defeat since he replaced Luis Enrique as Spain boss.

While the result represents Spain's first European Championship qualification defeat since October 2014 (2-1 v Slovakia), it is also the first time La Roja have lost a game by more than a one-goal margin since Euro 2016 (2-0 v Italy).

Spain were visibly frustrated as Scotland produced a resolute defensive performance in Glasgow, with players from both teams involved in a series of altercations as the game went on.

Spain's stand-in captain Rodri was less than impressed with Scotland's display after the game, telling ViaPlay: "It's the way they play, in the end you have to respect it, but for me it's a bit rubbish.

"It's always wasting time, they provoke you, they always fall. This for me is not football. The referee says nothing and it's a bit frustrating because we want to win.

"It's difficult, because they waste time. But they have their weapons, and we will learn for the next time. 

"We wanted to go in the duels and the battles. We always fight, but this is not about fighting, it's about wasting time, it's about four or five players falling to the floor, those kinds of situations.

"These teams are always physically strong, but we have to use our weapons. We are good with the ball and have to move the ball quickly. Today we did many good things, but we didn't score."

Scotland skipper Andy Robertson disagreed with Rodri's assessment, believing Spain were guilty of play-acting in the early stages and praising his team-mates for winning the physical battle.

"I think they were going down a little bit easily. We were trying to say that [to the referee]," Robertson said.

"We were always going to try to be physical and we wanted to be in their faces, to win our challenges and win our headers. I think we did that and I don't think we crossed the line. 

"I think, especially in the first half, they were rolling around a bit much, they used their experience and got a couple of us booked, but I think we won that battle and got under their skin."

Scott McTominay predicted Scotland's fans will talk about Tuesday's win over Spain in 30 years' time after his brace helped the Tartan Army maintain their perfect start to Euro 2024 qualifying. 

Having also scored twice in Saturday's 3-0 win over Cyprus, McTominay netted in both halves as Scotland handed Luis de la Fuente his first defeat as Spain boss, triumphing 2-0 at a buoyant Hampden Park.

Scotland have now won their first two games of a World Cup/Euros qualification campaign for the first time since September 2006, putting them three points clear of Spain at the Group A summit.

Manchester United midfielder McTominay, meanwhile, has four goals in his last two international appearances after netting just once in his first 37.

Speaking after the full-time whistle, McTominay was aware of the significance of his second brace in three days, telling ViaPlay: "Look at this place. I've never seen anything like it, it's incredible!

"The manager said in his talk before we went out, 'This is your chance to make your own legacies as Scotland players'.

"These are the nights that in 20 or 30 years, people will remember, and they'll watch the game back and say, 'I was there'.

"That's what the game is about. These fans are amazing every time we come to Hampden and we can't thank them enough."

While the result provided a huge boost to Steve Clarke's hopes of leading Scotland to successive European Championships, the head coach is keen to ensure his players do not get carried away.  

Asked if Tuesday's victory was the best of his managerial career, Clarke said: "I've not had time to think about it or digest it yet, I'm just trying to get my voice back, to be honest!

"If you can produce a big result against one of the top teams in Europe, then people speak about it in years to come.

"The players were absolutely outstanding from the first minute to the last minute. It's a big night, it feels like a big step forward in what we're trying to do as a nation.

"But it's only six points, you don't qualify with six points. One bad game can always set you back, so we'll stay focused and keep our feet on the ground."

Scott McTominay scored twice to fire Scotland to a memorable 2-0 victory over Spain at a jubilant Hampden Park, maintaining the hosts' perfect start to Euro 2024 qualifying.

The Manchester United midfielder – who also grabbed a brace in Saturday's 3-0 win over Cyprus – got Scotland off to a flying start as his early strike deflected in off visiting defender Inigo Martinez.

While Spain enjoyed plenty of possession, Luis de la Fuente's visitors were unable to respond after McTominay doubled Scotland's lead, lashing home following excellent work from Kieran Tierney.

The result moves Scotland three points clear of Spain at the top of Group A, while De la Fuente has plenty of work to do following his first defeat since replacing Luis Enrique after the World Cup. 

Scotland sent the home crowd into raptures seven minutes in as Andy Robertson capitalised on Pedro Porro's slip to find McTominay, who saw his left-footed effort deflect past Kepa Arrizabalaga.

The hosts almost scored a second as Ryan Christie prodded wide from the edge of the area, though they soon had the woodwork to thank as Joselu's header rattled the crossbar at the other end.

Rodri nodded narrowly over as Spain dominated possession, but Lyndon Dykes missed a great chance to double Scotland's lead when he chipped over on the stroke of half-time. 

The hosts did not need long to score a second after the interval, however, McTominay firing into the bottom-left corner after David Garcia failed to cut out Tierney's left-wing cross 51 minutes in.

Substitute Iago Aspas lifted over from Nico Williams' driven cross as the agitated visitors threw men forwards, with Scotland holding firm to record a statement result in the battle to reach next year's tournament in Germany.

What does it mean? Scotland stay perfect as Spanish run ends

Although Scotland missed out on last year's World Cup, they approached this qualification cycle in good spirits after winning promotion to the top tier of the Nations League last year.

Clarke – who penned a new contract last week – will now be supremely confident of leading Scotland to successive European Championships, with the Tartan Army winning their first two games of a World Cup/Euros qualifying campaign for the first time since September 2006.

Spain, meanwhile, have a fight on their hands after suffering their first European Championship qualifying defeat since October 2014 (v Slovakia). 

Great Scott doubles up

McTominay's international career had not exactly been defined by his goalscoring feats – until the last three days. 

Having scored just once in his first 37 caps, McTominay has hit the net four times in his last two international games, while he is the first Scotland player to net a brace against Spain since Mo Johnston did so in a World Cup qualifier in 1984.

Home comforts key for Scotland

Excluding play-offs, Scotland are now unbeaten in eight qualification matches, though it is at Hampden Park where Clarke's men have recorded their standout results.

Scotland have won six successive home qualifiers, going unbeaten through nine such games on their own turf (W8 D1).

What's next?

Scotland visit Norway in their next Euro 2024 qualifier on June 17. Spain, meanwhile, are in Nations League action in the next international break, facing Italy in the semi-finals on June 15.  

Scotland and Exeter full-back Stuart Hogg has announced he intends to retire after this year's Rugby World Cup.

The 30-year-old this month became only the fourth player to reach a century of appearances for Scotland after Ross Ford, Chris Paterson and Sean Lamont.

But Hogg, who also leads the way for the most tries scored by a Scotland player (27), will hang up his boots after competing in France later this year.

"After RWC2023, my professional rugby journey will end and I will be retiring from the game," Hogg said in a statement posted on his personal Instagram account.

"As a young kid growing up in The Borders, all I wanted to do was to play rugby for Scotland. 

"I feel privileged to have represented my country on 100 occasions, play on 3 British & Irish Lions tours and represent some amazing clubs. I couldn't have asked for any more.

"Rugby has allowed me to meet some incredible characters, make lifelong friends, travel the world and be part of some unbelievable experiences that I will cherish forever."

As well as representing Scotland since 2012 and featuring on three British and Irish Lions tours, Hogg also spent nearly a decade with Glasgow Warriors before joining Exeter.

Explaining the reason behind his shock retirement call, Hogg's statement added: "I don't feel my body can achieve the standards that I set myself for much longer.

"I've always wanted to finish at the top end of the game. A new career beckons and I will attack it in the same manner as I play the game. I hope I have done you proud."

Hogg signed off his statement with the words "100 not out (just yet)" in reference to the caps milestone he recently reached with Scotland.

He won the European Champions Cup and Premiership with Exeter in the 2019-20 season, following Pro12 success with Glasgow in 2014-15.

The Melrose native was also named Six Nations Player of the Tournament in 2016 and 2017.

Should he be selected as expected, Hogg will feature in his third World Cup, having played eight times across the past two tournaments.