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Daily Record
Daily Record
Sport
Robbie Copeland

Scotland U21s stunned by Kazakhstan as late heartbreak all but kills European Championship dream

Scotland U21s will need a miracle to qualify for Euro 2023 after a late Kazakhstan comeback virtually ended their qualifying hopes.

The young team travelled to Almaty in desperate need of a victory after back-to-back defeats against Belgium and Turkey left them trailing Denmark in pursuit of second spot.

Scotland 's only previous victory in Group I was against Kazakhstan in the reverse game and they did look set to make it a double when Dundee United 's Ross Graham struck in the first half.

It looked secure on the hour mark when Liverpool midfielder Tom Clayton took advantage of some haphazard defending to make it 2-0 in treacherous conditions.

Clayton celebrates his goal (SNS Group)

But the hosts, yet to register a point, pulled one back through a Yerkebulan Seidakhmet penalty.

And, in a cruel late twist for Scotland, a stoppage time header from Abylaikhan Zhumabek made it 2-2 and left Scot Gemmil 's team hanging by a thread.

Mathematically they can still qualify as they sit four points behind Denmark with two games left to play.

But the Danes have two games in hand and would have to lose all but one of these to give the young Scots any chance.

Scotland can inflict one defeat on Denmark as they play them in their final group game in June.

But their other game comes against runaway leaders Belgium - who have won every game and conceded just once so far.

Scotland team : Slicker, Ramsay (Banks, 69), Welsh (Clayton, 51), Graham, Doig, Barron, Mayo, Campbell, Leonard, Middleton, Burroughs (High, 74)

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