UEFA Nations League: Group B1 Scotland 1-2 Slovenia Tuesday, 6 October 2026 Barclays Hampden, Glasgow

Scorers

Scotland 1: Christie (31’)

Slovenia 2: Matko (57’), Sturm (71’)

Team News

Jack Hendry returned from suspension in place of Scott McKenna, and Ryan Christie got his first start under Sébastien Pocognoli as one of Saturday’s goalscorers in Kieron Bowie dropped to the bench.

Billy Gilmour won his 50th Scotland cap, and Andy Robertson started to win his 101st cap, now needing just one more to equal the all-time appearance record set by Sir Kenny Dalglish.

As it Happened

Scotland started the game with a couple of non-threatening sequences on the edge of the Slovenia box, but the visitors would provide the first scare of the night after hitting the post inside the first four minutes. Play would be stopped after the attempt, however, with the referee judging that Jack Hendry had been fouled in the build up.

Slovenia would have an even greater chance at opening the scoring less than ten minutes later. Zan Karnicnik’s through ball gave Danijel Sturm acres of space to square it across goal to Adam Gnezda Cerin, but his goalbound effort was cleared well by Hendry.

It would be Scotland who broke the deadlock around half an hour into the contest. Lewis Ferguson played Ben Gannon-Doak through down the right flank from a set-piece, and the winger dinked it over to a towering Hendry, whose header hit the post and the ball dropped towards Oli McBurnie and Ryan Christie, with the latter eventually knocking it in from close range with a backheeled finish to make it 1-0.

Slovenia had a gilt-edged opportunity to level the scoring on the 39th minute, with Zan Vipotnik undoing Hendry with a clever touch to put himself clean through. He got a strike away, but it was equalled by a heroic sliding block from captain Robertson.

There was a quick transition from Scotland inside the first five minutes of the second period when John McGinn’s ball from deep allowed Gannon-Doak room to attack through the middle. Under pressure from the Slovenian backline, he opted to play in Christie, but the Bournemouth midfielder was unable to make it two as his shot from an unfavouring angle was beaten away comfortably by Jan Oblak.

Slovenia would make Scotland pay minutes later with an equaliser just before the hour mark. Sturm slipped in Aljosa Matko who got the better of Luis Binks, and took no time in getting his finish slotted past Angus Gunn.

Sturm should really have made things worse for Scotland not two minutes later, finding himself clean through after getting onto the end of a long diagonal pass from defence. He drove inside from the left and scooped his attempt way off target, and with a teammate free across goal as well, it could only be seen as a massive let-off for Pocognoli’s men.

Slovenia did have the ball in the net through Matko once again, but the attacker was correctly judged to be offside.

The Ujpest forward would turn provider, however, a moment after his disallowed goal, after he was afforded space on the right-hand side to find Sturm across goal, who made no mistake with the simple finish, giving the away side a 2-1 lead with less than twenty minutes to play.

Claims of a Scotland penalty after a challenge on Findlay Curtis were waved away with fifteen minutes to go by Spanish official Jose Maria Sanchez, with his VAR team checking and clarifying that the right decision was made.

Scotland had another claim denied two minutes later, and this one had a bit more substance than the first one. Josh McPake fell at the challenge of a Slovenian defender, but VAR deemed that the contact was outside the box.

Barclays Hampden waited with baited breath as Billy Gilmour stepped up for a free-kick around 25 yards from goal in a central position in the final minute of normal time. However, his effort sailed over the bar.

Scotland sit third in UEFA Nations League Group B1, four points ahead of North Macedonia who remain pointless, and three points behind tonight’s victors Slovenia in second.

Match Report by Mack Kelly

Next Up

Scotland do not return to action until Friday, 13 November, hosting North Macedonia at Barclays Hampden, before completing the UEFA Nations League campaign away to Switzerland three days later.

Teams

Scotland: Gunn, Robertson, Binks, Welsh (Hickey 66’), McGinn (Ure 87’), Gilmour, McBurnie (Bowie 66’), Christie (McPake 71’), Hendry, Gannon-Doak (Curtis 71’), Ferguson

Unused substitutes: Bain, Kelly, Doig, Graham, Miller, Montgomery, Patterson

Slovenia: Oblak, Bijol, Brekalo, Gnezda Cerin, Janza, Karnicnik, Matko (Kuzmic 89’), Sturm, Vipotnik (Celar 79’), Zabukovnik, Zec

Unused substitutes: Vidovsek, Vekic, Balkovec, Urbancic, Lovric, Begic, Elsnik, Svetlin, Horvat, Drkusic