“Scotland’s revival after the World Cup dream almost died a dramatic death.”

Before things started to go wrong, Scotland were losing 3-0 and Denmark were winning 1-0, a run of results that saw Scotland’s hopes of direct qualification vanish. Hampden would not have a howitzer encounter. The qualifiers have begun. oh well. Luck has run out. It was inevitable in the end. And then. And then.

What madness was this coming from Parken Stadium in Copenhagen. Belarus, ranked 103rd in the world, scored the equalizer in the 62nd minute against Denmark, ranked 20th in the world. Denmark, at the top of the table, draws with Belarus. Bottom of the table flogs the boys?

And now, three minutes later, Ben Gannon Doak scored to make it 3-1, a just reward for all the Scotland pressure at the end of a first half that saw Scott McTominay’s shot from long range hit the Greek crossbar, which also saw Che Adams miss from close range before Gannon Doak did the same.

Hype and hope for the visiting fans. The draw in Denmark means Scotland can still qualify automatically if they beat the Danes at Hampden on Tuesday. Direct entry to the World Cup has resumed. Cancel sob stories. The dream was alive even though Greece controlled it.

But wait, how crazy is this? Seconds after Gannon Doak’s goal, Denmark 1 Belarus 2. Five minutes later, Greece 3 Scotland 2, Ryan Christie scored with a header. Goals fly like snuff in the wake. The Tartan Army is in a state of delirium. Scotland lead Greece in a bid to spark their illness again after their illness at Hampden earlier in the group.

At that moment, the Greeks would have viewed Scotland as something out of a Hollywood B-movie, a sinister creature in a lake, riddled with lead, a stake through the heart, as dead as death can only be when a shooting hand emerges from the water to signify life and threat.

McTominay came up with a fantastic save from Odysseas Vlachodimos to make it 3-2. Then a red card from Tassos Bakasetas, the Greek captain. Then more pressure on Scotland. Then, the settlement of Denmark. Then wait.

Some of Scotland’s players wandered onto the pitch to hear the final score from the Copenhagen match, and Denmark’s win was the ultimate doomsday, mood-killer on Tuesday night when the two teams come together.

Seconds passed and then confirmation. Tie, “Winner takes all at Hampden,” Andy Robertson gushed. It’s rare in the world of football for a player to look so happy after losing a football match that everyone thinks they can’t afford to lose it.

Great service from Belarus? In the millions of words said and written in the introduction to this game, and in all the different scenarios presented about how this could happen, no one has come up with this. No one saw this twist in the tale. The fortune teller wouldn’t have called it that. Mystic Meg would not have expected this on her best day.