"As ever, Steve Clarke was heroically deadpan, talking up his team's honesty and work-rate in securing a valuable World Cup qualification point against Denmark in Copenhagen, but only going so far. Clarke does praise, but in moderation. He approaches such things with suspicion. He can smell hype at a thousand paces. He salutes his players for their endeavour and their pride, but perspective is never far away when he's around. He smiled - we think - at a promising start to Scotland's bid to make a first World Cup since 1998."
"In taking a point from the Parken, Scotland have damaged one of their two main rivals in the group. In what is more of a sprint than a marathon - six games all told - they've already put Denmark on the back foot. The Danes have to go to Greece on Monday and they'll be underdogs now. Greece are an emerging force who did Scotland 3-0 at Hampden in March before taking care of Bulgaria 4-0 and Slovakia 4-1. They hammered Belarus 5-1 on Friday. Come Monday, if Greece continue their excellent form, Denmark's campaign might be in considerable trouble with one point from a possible six. Scotland could have four, if they do the necessary against Belarus in Budapest."
Scotland secured a valuable World Cup qualification point in Copenhagen after a disciplined display characterized by honesty and work-rate. The result weakened one of the group's main rivals and left Denmark on the back foot ahead of a trip to Greece. Greece arrive in strong form after large wins, including a 3-0 victory over Scotland and recent comprehensive defeats of Bulgaria, Slovakia and Belarus. Scotland have upcoming home fixtures against Greece and Belarus that offer a chance to build momentum. Successful results could see Scotland enter the next window with four points from six, improving their qualification prospects since 1998.
Read at www.bbc.com
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