Scotland continued its resurgence and secured a playoff spot with a valuable 2-0 victory over host Moldova in Chișinău during the penultimate round of Group F matches in the European qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup. Defender Nathan Patterson of Rangers scored the first goal in the 38th minute, followed by Southampton forward Che Adams in the 64th minute. Moldova's defender Vadim Rata missed a chance to score a consolation goal with a penalty in the 82nd minute, which was saved by Hearts goalkeeper Craig Gordon.
This victory marks Scotland's fifth consecutive win and its sixth in the qualifiers, securing second place with 20 points, seven points ahead of its only competitor for the second spot, Israel, which will face Austria later. On the other hand, Moldova suffered its eighth consecutive defeat and remains at one point, confirming its last-place finish in the qualifiers.
Denmark has already secured a spot in the finals from the group with a perfect score over eight rounds and will face the Faroe Islands later. Direct qualification is granted to the first-placed teams from each of the ten qualifying groups, while the second-placed teams will enter a playoff involving two of the highest-ranked teams from the UEFA Nations League that did not qualify directly. The format for the playoff differs from the old system; it will not consist of two-legged matchups but will feature 12 teams divided into three paths based on a draw, where each path will see four teams compete in a semi-final (March 24-25) and a final (March 28-29), with the winners qualifying for the World Cup (three paths = three teams qualifying from each path).
