Scotland beat Belarus 2-0 away in Hungary to secure their first win in 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifying.
Che Adams fired Scotland ahead from Scott McTominay’s 43rd-minute knockdown header of John McGinn’s cross in a competitive first half.
Zakhar Volkov doubled Scotland’s lead in the 65th minute after he turned Billy Gilmour’s header into his own net, with the Scottish midfielder having played an one-two move with Adams in the build-up play.
Belarus remain bottom of UEFA Qualifying Group C whilst Scotland moved up to second behind Denmark on goal difference, after the Danes cruised to a 3-0 away win over Greece.
Adams post-match in an interview with BBC One Scotland praised his teammates for a “professional” performance in a behind-closed-doors match, due to Belarus not being permitted to play in front of fans due to their involvement in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“It was really professional. We knew we had to come here and get three points and we did that.
“Difficult pitch and a hard to break down team, but we did it in the end.
“We missed the fans a lot tonight. That was for them really.”
Adams proceeded to iterate his belief that his team can qualify for the World Cup if can take the momentum into their double-header at home in October.
“We know we’re good enough [to qualify]. We knew we had to dig deep tonight and we did.
“We know when we’re at Hampden with the crowd behind us, we can beat anyone.”
With Belarus considered the whipping boys of Group C, Scotland knew at kick-off that victory is imperative but came up against a resilient defence in the opening 14 minutes.
Scotland’s frustrations continued as referee, Nikola Dabanovic denied them a 15th-minute penalty after McGinn flicked Andrew Robertson’s cutback cross forward for Gilmour, only for the latter to be clipped inside the box by Belarus’ Kiryl Pyachenin.
The first notable chance of note eventually fell Scotland’s way as Ben Gannon-Doak played a cross towards Max Johnston on the right, with the right-back having picked out McTominay with his cross into the box which the midfielder poked agonisingly wide of the right corner.
Angus Gunn meanwhile denied Max Ebong with a crucial block at the left post of the midfielder’s low 40th-minute shot.
Belarus’ Fydor Lapoukhov two minutes later flicked Gilmour’s low shot onto the right post as the Tartan Army turned up the intensity.
That late gear change paid dividends barely a minute after Gilmour’s effort, as McGinn’s cross was nodded down by McTominay for Adams to slide the ball into the bottom-right corner to put Scotland in front at half time.
The second half began as scrappy as much of the first half with plenty of fierce tackles but neither goalkeeper were tested until Gunn saved a 64th-minute shot from Belarusian substitute, Trofim Melnichenko.
Melnichenko’s missed opportunity proved costly barely a minute later as Gilmour played an one-two move into the box with Adams, and met the latter’s direct overhead cross with a header which Volkov turned into his own net to double Scotland’s lead.
Vladislav Kalinin wasted a chance to pull a goal back for Belarus in the 67th minute with a long-range shot which flew just over the bar.
Adams meanwhile saw a 82nd-minute shot cleared off the line as Scotland eventually settled for a routine win to go second in their group.
What’s Next?
Belarus host Denmark in their next qualifier on 9 October at 8:45pm CEST, before they visit Scotland at Hampden Park, Glasgow on Sunday 12 October at 5pm BST.
That home game against Belarus however is the second of a double-header at home for Scotland in October because they host Greece at Hampden Park on 9 October at 7:45pm.
Teams
Belarus: Fydor Lapoukhov, Sergey Karpovich (Pigas 46′), Yegor Parkhomenko, Zakhar Volkov (Demchenko 71′), Pavel Zabelin (Malkevich 72′), Kiryl Pyachenin, Maksim Myakish (Gromyko 65′), Vladislav Kalinin, Max Ebong, Yevgeny Malashevich (Melnichenko 46′), Herman Barkouski
Substitutes: Nikita Demchenko, Valery Gromyko, Sergey Ignatovich, Nikita Korzun, Yuriy Kovalev, Vladislav Malkevich, Alyaksandr Martynovich, Trofim Melnichenko, Roman Pasevich, Pavel Pavlyuchenko, Vadim Pigas, Evgeniy Yablonskiy
Scotland: Angus Gunn, Max Johnston (Hickey 74′), John Souttar, Scott McKenna, Andrew Robertson, Lewis Ferguson, Billy Gilmour (McLean 83′), John McGinn, Scott McTominay (Miller 90′), Ben Gannon-Doak (Christie 74′), Che Adams (Dykes 83′)
Substitutes: Kieron Bowie, Ryan Christie, Zander Clark, Josh Doig, Lyndon Dykes, Grant Hanley, Jack Hendry, Aaron Hickey, George Hirst, Liam Kelly, Kenny McLean, Lennon Miller
Referee – Nikola Dabanovic (Montenegro)
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