Scotland earned a vital 1-0 victory over Croatia in the Nations League on matchday five thanks to late substitute John McGinn, who converted the rebound after Ben Doak's shot was parried. Long time waiting: The win snapped a long winless streak and kept Scotland's hopes alive of avoiding relegation with an important match against Poland next.

Scotland’s John McGinn scored a late goal to secure a 1-0 win over 10-man Croatia for its first Nations League victory in its penultimate Group A1 game at Hampden Park on Friday.

The new-look UEFA Nations League group stage is coming to a close, with much more at stake than you might think.

The victory was Scotland's first in a competitive match since September 2023, when they beat Cyprus 3-0 in Euro 2024 qualifying. They had gone 10 games without a competitive victory since then, drawing four and losing six, including a return of just one point from three outings at Euro 2024.

What a night that was for Scotland at Hampden Park. The late 1-0 win over Croatia has given the nation a huge lift. John McGinn's heroics off the bench saw the Dark Blues secure their first win of Group A in the UEFA Nations League - and just their second victory in 14 months.

Scotland must take points off Croatia in their clash at Hampden Park if they have any chance of avoiding relegation from League A in the Nations League. Steve Clarke’s men suffered three straight defeats in this campaign but a goalless draw with Portugal gave them hope of pulling off a surprising survival.