Euro 2020: Germany 2-4 Netherlands, Scotland lose and Bale seals Wales win – as it happened

Too many players doing their own thing – “some of the players just wanted to do whatever they wanted to do,” Giggs says – that doesn’t sound too healthy for Wales. Still, they got the job done in the end. Thanks for your company. Bye!

Ryan Giggs discusses Wales’s late win, but he is far from all smiles. “It wasn’t good enough first half, it wasn’t good enough,” Giggs says. “We had a game plan and we didn’t stick to it. Some of the players just wanted to do whatever they wanted to do and it’s not good enough. I wasn’t happy at half-time. I was happy with the work-rate and the character to come back. But too many players didn’t show up tonight. There were positives as well. Jonny Williams coming on. Joe Rodon, first cap, was immense.”

Some post-match reaction from the Scotland camp. “We were in a really good position in the game and we needed to [go on and] win,” says John McGinn, who opened the scoring at Hampden Park. “We started on the front foot, showed what we are capable of but dropped back and a team like Russia will punish you. We allowed them to play to their strengths.” The debutant, the Leeds defender Liam Cooper, adds: “The lads are gutted in there. We invited them on to us and teams like Russia are going to hurt you and we paid the price. It’s always difficult when you step up to international level – teams can hurt you with one pass.”

A couple of post-match stats to get yer head around: no player has been directly involved in more goals in Euro 2020 qualifying than Artem Dzyuba (six goals, two assists), with the Russia captain at it again at Hampden Park this evening. The Zenit striker equalised before O’Donnell and Zhirkov combined for the Russia winner. Also, Gareth Bale will be showered with praise as the Wales saviour in the fallout of a late – and crucial – victory over Azerbaijan. Bale has been directly involved in 19 goals in his last 19 home appearances for Wales (14 goals & five assists). Not bad going, eh?

90+2 min: Whoosh! Ben Davies wellies the ball clear for Wales. Back come Azerbaijan after Jonny Williams loses possession but Razmanov cannot get enough power on his low drive. Hennessey gathers. Wales are almost there.

90 min: Four added minutes at Hampden Park! And three minutes for Wales to hang on against Azerbaijan, who have a stoppage-time free-kick ...

88 min: Aleksandr Golovin is withdrawn in Glasgow. The Monaco man has been streets ahead of everyone else on the pitch at Hampden. A class act.

87 min: Can Scotland remedy an equaliser? Elsewhere, Austria have hit Latvia for six, with Arnautovic at the double. Matt Phillips is on at Hampden.

83 min: ... straight into the Azerbaijan wall.

82 min: Wales free-kick, 20 yards out. Gareth Bale steps up ...

80 min: Connor Roberts goes agonisingly close for Wales, dragging wide after meeting a low Daniel James cross. The pair were team-mates at Swansea last season. Roberts does almost everything perfectly, opening up his body to usher the ball goalwards but he doesn’t quite get his angles right. And with that, Giggs makes his final change, with Ben Davies replacing Neil Taylor. Harry Wilson and Ethan Ampadu are off, with Jonny Williams and Sam Vokes on.

73 min: “That isn’t the same Zhirkov who must be about a 100 by now, is it?” emails Sarah Rothwell. It certainly is and, going on this evidence, the boy (he’s now 36) has still very much got it. That was a wonderful effort a second ago. David Marshall has made two magnificent saves to keep Scotland in it at Hampden.

72 min: Charlie Mulgrew goes close for Scotland – but he cannot bend his free-kick inside a post! A decent effort up the other end, too, with David Marshall pulling off another fine save to deny Zhirkov a second. Steve Clarke must be tempted to throw on another set of fresh legs, with Matt Phillips and Stuart Armstrong on the bench.

62 min: Changes afoot in Glasgow, as Steve Clarke opts to freshen things up. That Russia goal had been coming. Kenny McLean replaces James Forrest and Ryan Christie is on for John McGinn, whose opener feels a very long time ago now. Elsewhere, Dries Mertens has doubled Belgium’s lead in San Marino and Austria are three goals to the good at home to Latvia. And a big goal in Hamburg to boot ...

54 min: Scotland are very much on the ropes. Liam Cooper, booked moments ago, throws himself to the ground to get a block in on Russia’s Fernandes. Scotland do win a free-kick when Zobnin picks up a yellow card for a rash challenge on Scott McTominay but the ball in is straight down the throat of Guilherme.

52 min: The Wales defender Chris Mepham is booked for thundering into Sheydayev. It was a clumsy challenge and a silly yellow card. Elsewhere, Liam Cooper has been booked on his Scotland debut, with the hosts under the cosh at Hampden Park, where Russia are swarming all over Steve Clarke’s side. Cooper is penalised for clattering into Dyzuba, who levelled things up in Glasgow. Scotland look anxious and are struggling to get out of their own half. It just keeps coming back at them.

47 min: Double drat for Wales! Croatia lead 2-0 in Slovakia, courtesy of Ivan Perisic’s goal. The World Cup finalists have struck either side of the interval to establish a healthy two-goal cushion. No changes for Wales or Scotland at the break.

46 min: We’re back under way. In Cardiff, Ryan Giggs strides out for the second half looking thoroughly hacked off. A big, exasperated puff of the cheeks. Maybe he had just seen a replay of Nikola Vlasic’s goal on the stroke of half-time for Croatia against Slovakia. Wales are fourth in qualifying as things stand.

England Under-21s win 3-2 in Turkey! It was something of an Arsenal masterclass in Izmit, with Reiss Nelson the match-winner after an Eddie Nketiah double. That is just the ticket for Aidy Boothroyd, who has been under the cosh since a dismal European campaign in Italy this summer. Phil Foden was in from the off, Mason Greenwood, the Manchester United teenager, stepped off the bench, while Tom Davies captained the team.

Half-time reading, courtesy of Paul MacInnes:

45 min: Tom Lawrence does the hard bit, wringing an Azerbaijan defender inside-out before attempting to bend a left-footed strike into the far corner beyond the goalkeeper. There is not enough venom on it – but it was the right idea.

44 min: That’s a killer for Scotland, a sucker-punch. Russia look in the mood, Steve Clarke’s side frustrated, typified by a meaty challenge by James Forrest on Yuri Zhirkov. Yes, Zhirkov, the 36-year-old former Chelsea man is still going. In Cardiff, Azerbaijan’s Emreli is fortunate – as Harry Wilson was earlier – to escape action after swinging an arm out at Chris Mepham. The defender is riled. Well, that’s 1-1 in the should-have-been-a-red-card-stakes.

38 min: It remains early days but Belgium being held by San Marino is good news for Scotland, who lead at Hampden Park. As it stands, Scotland would slide above Russia and into second place in Group I, behind leaders Belgium. De Bruyne, Origi, Batshuayi and Tielemans have all been given the nod in Serravalle. Steve Clarke’s side are looking relatively comfortable, if unconvincing. McBurnie has been fairly isolated. Still, long way to go, and all that.

32 min: Matthijs de Ligt has headed wide for the Netherlands in Hamburg, where Ronald Koeman’s side remain on the hunt for an equaliser. In Turkey, England Under-21s have re-taken the lead to cap a crazy few minutes in Izmit. After going behind, the Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah popped up with an equaliser – his second goal of the evening – before Reiss Nelson poked England back in front.

23 min: Austria are two goals to the good against Latvia, with Marcel Sabitzer adding a second after Arnautovic’s opener. In Cardiff, Azerbaijan continue to frustrate Wales. Harry Wilson is very lucky to escape without even a booking – there is no video assistant referee in Euro 2020 qualifiers, of course.

21 min: The Netherlands have conceded a goal in the first 15 minutes of the match in each of their last three games against Germany: 9’ Werner (19 November, 2018) 15’ Sané (24 March, 2019) 9’ Gnabry (6 September, 2019). Not a good look.

17 min: Harry Wilson is fortunate to still be on the field for Wales. The Liverpool winger, who is on a season’s loan at Bournemouth, allows his frustration to get the better of him and, hot-headedly, appears to stamp on Richard Almeida de Oliveira. The Azerbaijan coach Nikola Jurcevic is baffled, as is Almeida. Wilson insists he only had eyes on the ball but he can count himself fortunate – it certainly did not look good. Moments later, Wales appeal for handball after Joe Allen’s cross hit a flailing arm.

9 min: Scotland go close as O’Donnell rattles a post! Steve Clarke’s side win yet another – a third in quick succession – and O’Donnell reacts quickest to try and prod the ball home after Oli McBurnie towers above his Russian marker to nod the ball downwards. The ball was whipped in by Ryan Fraser, helped on by McBurnie and very nearly converted by O’Donnell, the Kilmarnock defender who worked under Clarke at club level before the former Chelsea coach assumed charge of his nation.

4 min: An encouraging half-chance for Tom Lawrence, with the Derby forward attempting to hook a clever cross by Gareth Bale goalwards. Bale raids down the right flank and dinks a ball into the front post, where Lawrence tries to steer it in but it bounces wide. Wales have certainly began brightly in Cardiff.

3 min: Harry Wilson whips in a free-kick towards the back post, where debutant Joe Rodon, who spent last year on loan at Cheltenham Town, is lurking. The defender attempts to stab it home but he cannot divert it goalwards. Rodon, along with his Swansea and Wales team-mate Connor Roberts, has enjoyed an impressive start to the season, with his performances at club level – Swansea top the Championship – earning international recognition.

2 min: Wales, and Ryan Giggs, could badly do with a result. Courtesy of the good folks at Opta, Wales have lost seven of their 13 games under the former Manchester United winger (W5 D1 L7), including each of the last two in a row; they haven’t lost three consecutively since September 2012 (a run of five). Meanwhile, a energetic start for Scotland, with John McGinn drilling wide from 20 yards.

We are just a few minutes away from kick-off – a hearty national anthem or two. And here’s a gentle reminder of what’s in store:

Group C
Germany v Netherlands

Group E
Slovakia v Croatia
Wales v Azerbaijan

Group G
Austria v Latvia
Slovenia v Poland

Group I
San Marino v Belgium
Scotland v Russia

Ryan Giggs talks. “I’m really happy,” Giggs says. “A lot of players are in good form. I’ve seen Joe Rodon a couple of times this year and he’s in excellent form. I’m looking forward to seeing them perform tonight. “[Must-win talk is] understandable. You want to bounce back after two defeats. I’m looking for a win and a good performance. I want clean sheets because I know the players up front will create chances. We’ve not been ruthless enough so far. If we defend well, we should be scoring goals.”

Scotland’s Steve Clarke speaks, and he seems relaxed. “Russia are decent but we think we’re pretty decent as well,” the former Kilmarnock manager says. “If the lads can show me what they’ve shown me in training, I’ll think we’ll be OK. We have to be positive. It is always important but we need to make sure that our front three are pushing right on and trying to get a bit of momentum in the game. It’s always key how you defend and Liam [Cooper] has got good experience, he’ll slot in there instead of Scott McKenna. Oli [McBurnie] is a young man, he had a big move in the summer and he’s determined to show everyone how good he is.”

England Under-21s are level-pegging with Turkey at half-time: Arsenal’s Eddie Nketiah, who is on a season’s loan at Leeds, opened the scoring, converting Phil Foden’s low cross from close range before Dogukan Sinik equalised, slotting beyond Bournemouth’s Aaron Ramsdale. Talking of English goalkeepers ...

Austria are in action in Group G – but not in Klagenfurt:

Team news news: Gareth Bale starts and captains Wales in Cardiff, while Swansea’s Joe Rodon makes his full debut at centre-back as Ryan Giggs makes five changes. Matthijs de Ligt is in from the off for the Netherlands alongside Virgil van Dijk for their humdinger with Germany. Elsewhere, a debut for Leeds’ captain Liam Cooper in the heart of the Scotland defence, while Oli McBurnie leads the line and John McGinn’s in midfield for Steve Clarke’s side. As for the visitors at Hampden Park, Artem Dyzuba spearheads the Russia attack, as it feels he has done for the past couple of decades; no player has been involved in more goals in Euro 2020 qualifying than the Zenit striker (five goals, two assists), scoring more goals than Scotland have managed so far as a team (four).