Match ends, Scotland 1, Lithuania 1.
Substitute James McArthur's late header salvaged a draw against Lithuania to avoid a potentially major blow to Scotland's World Cup qualifying hopes.
Grant Hanley and Callum Paterson went close with first-half headers while Robert Snodgrass and Chris Martin also had chances before Lithuania struck.
Fedor Cernych finished a slick move in the 58th minute with a powerful right-foot strike into the bottom corner.
But McArthur headed home home Hanley's flick-on to avoid a humiliating defeat.
Scotland, ranked 44th in the world, were second-best for a worryingly long time in the opening half. It wasn't that Lithuania - ranked 117 - were causing trouble, but they were more organised, more aggressive and they hustled and harried Scotland into an error-prone beginning.
Chris Martin had the Scots' one half-decent chance when volleying wide at the back post. There was hard-running from Oliver Burke as well.
None of this unsettled Lithuania unduly. Scotland were flat. Little or nothing was seen from Robert Snodgrass and Matt Ritchie, Darren Fletcher and Barry Bannan.
Strachan withdrew his injured captain, Fletcher, at the break and brought on James McArthur.
Within two minutes Scotland had their first almighty scare when Arvydas Novikovas shot on the turn and forced a save from David Marshall.
That was the warning. Briefly, Scotland rallied. Andrew Robertson got himself into dangerous areas going forward and started to make things happen. Snodgrass had a goal-bound shot blocked down. Martin, from a Robertson cross, flashed a header just wide.
Just when you thought that Scotland were beginning to scale the mountain, they fell off.
Lithuania's goal was a delight, a clever and cutting move the like of which Scotland were incapable of.
It was all about the interplay between Cernych and Vykintas Slivka. They sliced Scotland open, Slivka putting Cernych through on Marshall. He kept his cool and lashed it home.
Hampden quickly became an angst-ridden place; angry and nervous. Before the goal, James Forrest had come on for Oliver Burke - that was a puzzler, Burke was doing fine - and the Celtic man wasted a great chance after more fine work from Robertson.
This was stark now for Scotland. A win was a must if they were to harbour legitimate hopes of qualification. A draw would have been a desperate blow. A loss? It was the stuff of nightmares. Very few people thought it was a possible scenario.
The torture continued. Slapstick in the Scotland defence allowed Cernych in again. To all of Hampden it looked like he would score. As Hampden sat in dread, Cernych pulled it wide.
On went the misery. Leigh Griffiths came on for Ritchie and with 11 minutes left, Robertson delivered a cross on a plate to the Celtic striker. Point-blank range, free header, Griffiths directed it straight at Ernestas Setkus in the Lithuania goal.
Hampden had almost given up all hope of an equaliser when Callum Paterson flung in a long throw for Hanley to flick on to McArthur who headed home.
Lithuania then broke clear in numbers but butchered their big chance. Scotland responded and deep in added time, only a Lithuania header off the line denied them victory.
Frenetic, frustrating and a profound failure. After two games, Scotland's qualification hopes are already hanging by a thread as they head to Slovakia on Tuesday.
Line-ups
Scotland
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 1Marshall
- 2Paterson
- 4Martin
- 5HanleyBooked at 52mins
- 3Robertson
- 6Bannan
- 7FletcherSubstituted forMcArthurat 45'minutesBooked at 90mins
- 8BurkeSubstituted forForrestat 57'minutes
- 10Snodgrass
- 11RitchieSubstituted forGriffithsat 71'minutes
- 9Martin
Substitutes
- 12Gordon
- 13Forrest
- 14Morrison
- 15Maloney
- 16Griffiths
- 17Anya
- 18Fletcher
- 19McArthur
- 20Berra
- 21Hamilton
- 22Wallace
- 23Tierney
Lithuania
Formation 4-2-2-2
- 16Setkus
- 8VaitkunasBooked at 13mins
- 3FreidgeimasBooked at 52mins
- 4Girdvainis
- 15SlavickasSubstituted forAndriuskeviciusat 64'minutes
- 18ZulpaSubstituted forChvedukasat 66'minutes
- 17KuklysBooked at 18mins
- 22Cernych
- 11Novikovas
- 19ValskisSubstituted forGrigaraviciusat 85'minutes
- 14Slivka
Substitutes
- 1Zubas
- 2Klimavicius
- 5Mikuckis
- 6Grigaravicius
- 7Cesnauskis
- 9Matulevicius
- 10Verbickas
- 12Klevinskas
- 13Chvedukas
- 20Paulius
- 21Luksa
- 23Andriuskevicius
- Referee:
- Tobias Stieler
- Attendance:
- 35,966
Match Stats
- Possession
- Home62%
- Away38%
- Shots
- Home19
- Away7
- Shots on Target
- Home3
- Away3
- Corners
- Home9
- Away2
- Fouls
- Home21
- Away19
Live Text
Post update
Full Time
Second Half ends, Scotland 1, Lithuania 1.
Post update
Foul by Chris Martin (Scotland).
Post update
Karolis Chvedukas (Lithuania) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Post update
Corner, Scotland. Conceded by Mantas Kuklys.
Post update
Corner, Scotland. Conceded by Vykintas Slivka.
Post update
Andrew Robertson (Scotland) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Post update
Foul by Arvydas Novikovas (Lithuania).
Booking
James McArthur (Scotland) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Post update
Foul by James McArthur (Scotland).
Post update
Vykintas Slivka (Lithuania) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Post update
Attempt blocked. Russell Martin (Scotland) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by James McArthur.
Post update
Attempt missed. Vykintas Slivka (Lithuania) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high.
Post update
Grant Hanley (Scotland) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Post update
Foul by Mindaugas Grigaravicius (Lithuania).
Goal!
Goal! Scotland 1, Lithuania 1. James McArthur (Scotland) header from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Grant Hanley.
Post update
Attempt missed. Grant Hanley (Scotland) header from the right side of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Callum Paterson.
Post update
Offside, Lithuania. Ernestas Setkus tries a through ball, but Arvydas Novikovas is caught offside.
Post update
Foul by Leigh Griffiths (Scotland).
Post update
Edvinas Girdvainis (Lithuania) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Comments
Join the conversation
...thanks Scotland.
Gordon, please invite your squad to train with a ball (at least occasionally).
Did I say shocking?
The decline in Scottish football is tragic - regardless of whether you support them or not
"don't believe everything you read about stats"
Oh dear. Rose coloured spectacles or what? Let's face it, having a pop at the English is just a distraction from a poor performance. Scotland needs to win these games, not just scrape draws! Scotland can start to criticise English superstars when it has some of its own. Right now; hapless.
Sorry guys but you'll be very lucky to make it to the next (any) major tournament playing like that.
Only thing keeping Strachan in a job is a lack of viable replacements. So many questionable decisions, not least Chris Martin getting in ahead of Griffiths.
As the great line in Trainspotting goes - "it's s***e being Scottish"
We have to be aggressive, take chances in possession and try to dominate at home, get the crowd back on side. If we don't we can't qualify.
Can see that all the other England matches are going to be boring - deja-vu of England trying to break down a 10 men behind the ball defence for 90 mins.
Slovakia are supposedly the 2nd favourites in the group and sat parked in it's penalty area for 90 mins hoping to nick a draw at home.
At least Scotland will give it a go
...both the England and Scotland national football teams are in a depressing state...PL greed has managed to engulf both.
We will be collecting 6 points off you soon.
Enjoy watching the WC on the TV~again.
Scottish football is over, you just make up the numbers in the group.