Late heartache for Scotland as Poland score injury-time winner

Scotland have suffered late heartache in their Nations League opener after Poland scored an injury-time penalty to win a five-goal thriller at Hampden.

Steve Clarke’s men fought back from two goals down to draw level in the second half and they might have even felt they should have been leading.

But the visitors scored a 95th minute penalty to make it 3-2 and take all three points in Glasgow.

Sebastian Szymański put Poland ahead with a long-range strike and a Robert Lewandowski penalty just before half-time doubled the lead.

Scott McTominay had the ball in the net between the two Poland goals but his close range strike was chopped off for a handball.

Billy Gilmour got one back for Scotland early in the second-half and McTominay equalised 15 minutes from time.

Nicola Zalewski had nerves of steel when he stepped up to the spot with one of the last kicks of the game to slot his penalty into the bottom corner.

It was Scotland’s first game since the disappointment of Euro 2024 when they lost two and drew one of their three group games in Germany.

With Kieran Tierney still injured Steve Clarke decided to change to a back four with Anthony Ralston and Andy Robertson either side of Scott McKenna and Grant Hanley.

New Napoli duo McTominay and Gilmour were in midfield beside Kenny McLean and John McGinn with Ryan Christie supporting lone frontman Lyndon Dykes.

Szymański opened the scoring on the ninth minute to make it 1-0 with a dipping shot from outside the box that flew past Angus Gunn

McTominay had a chance to equalise on the 20 minute mark but he fired his shot wide of the post.

The former Man Utd midfielder, who scored in the 1-1 draw with Switzerland at the Euros, then had a goal disallowed following a ball into the box by Robertson.

A VAR check noticed a handball in the build up and it was an easy decision for the ref.

Christie then came close with a stinging shot from outside the box that failed to hit the target and Dykes found the side netting as the hosts chased an equaliser.

However, Poland doubled their lead at the end of the first-half after Ralston was penalised for a foul in the area and veteran forward Lewandowski made it 2-0 from the spot.

Scotland made a blistering start to the second-half and Gilmour scored his second international goal to make it 2-1 just a minute after the restart.

And they got themselves level on the 75th minute when Ralston linked up well with Ben Doak before the Celtic full-back cut it across the face of the goal and McTominay turned it into the net.

But just when it looked as though they had done enough to earn a draw there was a late sting in the tail when Poland were awarded their second penalty of the game in the fifth minute of injury time.

This time Zalewski stepped up to smash it past Gunn and into the bottom corner and take all three points back to Poland.