Greece 3-2 Scotland
FIFA World Cup Qualifying
Saturday, 15 October 2025
Stadio Georgios Karaiskakis, Piraeus

Scorers

Greece 3 (Bakasetas 7, Karetsas 57, Tzolis 63)

Scotland 2 (Gannon-Doak 65, Christie 70)

Team News

Scotland Head Coach Steve Clarke made six changes from the side that narrowly defeated Belarus last time out.

Ryan Christie and Lewis Ferguson returned from suspension to anchor the midfielder, while Craig Gordon replaced the injured Angus Gunn between the sticks. 

Aaron Hickey returned from injury to take his place at right back, while John Souttar and Grant Hanley - who were both rotated against the Belarussians - resumed their partnership at centre-back. 

As It Happened

Scotland were hoping for a fast start but it was the hosts who came flying out the traps, taking the lead in just the seventh minute. 

Returning goalkeeper Craig Gordon appeared to have foiled the Greeks, making a stunning one handed stop to deny Vangelis Pavlidis but the ball broke kindly for Tasos Bakasetas who fired in at the near post from ten yards out. 

The Greeks kept pouring forward and Christos Tzolis was denied by Gordon at the near post and the keeper saved from Konstantinos Karetsas moments later.

Scotland were struggling to get a foothold but did create a couple of openings, with Ryan Christie twice threatening at the edge of the Greece box but the midfielder was crowded out on both occasions.

Gordon then saved a Panagiotis Retsos header in the 27th minute, Pavlidis thought he had made it 2-0 five minutes later but he could not quite stretch to meet a low cross, firing his effort into the side netting. 

Scotland finally got into the match shortly after the half hour mark. Andy Robertson played a neat one-two with John McGinn and flashed across a dangerous ball that was cleared behind by Retsos.

A series of corners followed, with Che Adams almost nipping in at the front post from one of them, before the Greeks eventually cleared their lines.

Scotland had woken up though and created three gilt-edged chances just before the break. 

Firstly, McTominay latched onto a sensational Adams flick, only to strike the crossbar with a wonderful left-footed curler from just outside the box.

Adams then had a chance in first half injury time, nipping in at the back post to head into the side netting from a narrowing angle.

It was the home side looking for the half-time whistle now and Ben Gannon-Doak then had our best chance moments later, latching on to a wonderful reverse ball from McTominay before taking a great first touch but he would be denied by Greek stopper Odysseas Vlachodimos as he attempted to slide the ball into the far corner. 

Scotland did not want half-time to come but Clarke's side continued where they left off as the second period began and Adams passed up another glorious chance in the 53rd minute. 

Christie, who was covering so much ground for Scotland, latched onto a loose Greece pass and raced through on goal before passing to Adams but his shot was blocked by a scrambling Greece defence with the goal gaping. 

The striker's follow-up effort was also blocked as a promising attack somehow came to nothing. 

Scotland would be made to pay moments later as substitute Andreas Tetteh broke upfield and cut the ball back to Karetsas who sidefooted the ball into powerfully into the net to make it 2-0.

It was a cruel blow after Scotland's best period of the game and it soon went from bad to worse as Tzolis found the top corner from long range to make it 3-0 in the 63rd minute. 

Scotland did not fold though and Gannon-Doak quickly reduced the arrears two minutes later, latching on to McGinn's precise cross and lashing home his first goal for his country. 

The three goal lead had more than flattered the hosts and the deficit was soon one when Christie bulleted home a header from an Andy Robertson in the 70th minute to give us hope of a miraculous comeback. 

A bonkers game was almost level four minutes later when the electric Gannon-Doak harried the Greek defence into a mistake and cut the ball back for Adams but, although he took too long to get a shot away, he managed to set up Christie who produced another top save from Vlachodimos. 

Vlachodimos then made an even better save in the 79th minute as Gannon-Doak stood up a cross for McTominay who met it on the volley but the keeper somehow made an instinct save with his foot. 

Scotland kept pushing and the tireless McGinn got in behind down the line and cut the ball back in the direction of substitute George Hirst but the Greece goalkeeper got a crucial deflection on the pullback to thwart the Scots in the final minute. 

It had been a hugely dramatic match but there would be no further chances as the game finished 3-2 in Piraeus. 

Despite the defeat, a 2-2 draw between Denmark and Belarus in the group's other match would mean that Scotland's World Cup hopes remain alive heading into Tuesday's all-or-nothing shoot-out with the Danes at Hampden Park.

Next Up

Scotland conclude our qualifying campaign on Tuesday, as we welcome Denmark to Hampden Park, knowing that a win would take us directly to our first World Cup since 1998. 

Teams

Scotland: Gordon, Hickey (Ralston 75), Souttar, Hanley (McKenna 75), Robertson, Christie (Dykes 82), Ferguson, Gannon-Doak (Hirst 88), McTominay, McGinn, Adams (Shankland 82)

Unused Substitutes: Kelly, Bain, Tierney, Irving, Hendry, Barron, McLean

Greece: Odysseas Vlachodimos, Giorgos Vagiannidis, Konstantinos Koulierakis, Panagiotis Retsos, Dimitris Kourbelis, Christos Mouzakitis, Christos Tzolis, Tasos Bakasetas, Vangelis Pavlidis (Tetteh 43), Konstantinos Karetsas (Masouras 75), Kostas Tsimikas

Unused Substitutes: Kostas Tzolakis, Christos Mandas, Giannis Michailidis, Charalampos Kostoulas, Lazaros Rota, Nectarios Triantis, Pantelis Hatzidiakos, Petros Mantalos, Manolis Siopis