BELGRADE: Scotland reached their first European Championship finals since 1996 after a 5-4 penalty shootout win in Serbia with the match ending 1-1 after extra time in the Balkan nation’s capital last night.
Scotland converted all their penalties and mobbed each other after their goalkeeper David Marshall saved the home side’s final spot kick, diving to his left to keep out Aleksandar Mitrovic’s shot.
Ryan Christie fired a dominant Scotland into a 52nd-minute lead with a superb shot on the turn before substitute Luka Jovic equalised in the 90th when he headed home a Filip Mladenovic corner to force extra time.
Scotland will join the 24-nation tournament’s Group D including England, the Czech Republic and 2018 World Cup runners-up Croatia, with matches in that pool to be played at Wembley and Hampden Park.
Meanwhile, Hungary qualified for the finals with a thrilling 2-1 comeback win over Iceland in their playoff game thanks to a late equaliser from Loic Nego and a stoppage-time winner by Dominik Szoboszlai.
Hungary will join Portugal, France and Germany in Group F at next year’s tournament, with the first and third of those games to be played at the Puskas Arena in Budapest.
Michal Duris struck an extra-time winner as Slovakia profited from the few chances they had to stun Northern Ireland and 1,060 raucous home fans with a 2-1 victory in their qualification playoff at Windsor Park.
Slovakia led after 17 minutes as George Saville’s wayward header in midfield proved a perfect through ball for Juraj Kucka, who provided a cool finish.
It looked as though that would be the winner until the Irish claimed a dramatic late equaliser when defender Milan Skriniar, who was the visitors’ best player, turned the ball into his own net three minutes from the end of normal time.
But Duris beat home goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell at his near post with a low drive to seal back-to-back European Championship qualifications for Slovakia and a place in Group E at the tournament next year along with Spain, Sweden and Poland.
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