Scotland kept their chances of reaching the knockout stages of the Euros alive after drawing 1-1 with Switzerland in Cologne.
Steve Clarke’s team performed more positively after 5-1 defeat at the hands of Germany on the opening day of the tournament, but failed to secure three points.
The draw leaves Scotland in third place in Group A with a single point – meaning they will have to beat Hungary to have a chance of automatically qualifying for the knockout stages.
Scott McTominay’s deflected shot gave Scotland the lead in the 13th minute at the Cologne Stadium, but celebrations were short-lived after former Liverpool star Xherdan Shaqiri equalized in the 26th minute.
Scotland had to work hard to contain Murat Yakin’s side, but they did so with intensity and almost went ahead in the second half when Grant Hanley hit the post.
The Scots were saved from conceding two goals by the offside flag, but still put in an impressive performance to secure a draw.
Clarke knew he needed to get something out of the game and made a forced change with defender Hanley replacing the suspended Ryan Porteous, while midfielder Billy Gilmour came on for Ryan Christie.
Winning two corners in three minutes gave the Scots instant encouragement.
Sky Sports pundit Nick Wright called it a “much better overall display”.
Former Scotland international Kris Boyd said: “One point is enough. We are alive and well… They responded tonight, it was more like Scotland. Switzerland are not mugs and Scotland more than matched them.
“Steve Clarke will be relatively happy with this result.”
There was bad news for Scotland defender Kieran Tierney in the second half after he left the field on a stretcher following a tackle on Dan Ndoye.
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Swiss Xherdan Shaqiri, left, celebrates after scoring his team’s equalizer. Photo: AP
Hosts Germany beat Hungary 2-0 earlier in the day and top the group with six points.
Switzerland are in second place with four points, Scotland in third with one point and Hungary are in last place with zero.
Scotland face Hungary in both sides’ final group game on Sunday evening.
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Only the top two teams in each group automatically progress to the knockout stage.
The teams that finish third in each group will be placed on a leaderboard, with the top four advancing to the round of 16.
A team’s position in the table is based on criteria including points, goal difference and goals scored.
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