Scotland - 1 Lithuania - 0 Back when Scotland's prospects appeared most desperate, Berti Vogts pinned a picture of the Algarve to the dressing room wall in Toftir, in the Faroe Islands.
"I never thought I'd made a mistake taking this job," he insisted, recalling the aftermath of the incomprehensible draw with the Faroes 13 months ago. "I told my boys: 'Our target is still Portugal. Forget this and move on.'"
In Frankfurt today, the Scots will do just that. Victory over Lithuania on Saturday may have been choked with nerves, but it secured a play-off place few would have expected when the national team lurched home red-faced from their first qualifier. At this stage, performances come secondary to results; this is a time for relieved optimism.
It was fitting that Scotland's best two players on the pitch were James McFadden and the substitute Darren Fletcher, bright lights for the country's future and both - at 20 and 19 - young and fearless amid the excruciating tension. The Everton winger offered a rare cutting edge to the home side's attack throughout. The Manchester United midfielder, four minutes after his introduction, provided the goal to break maddening opponents.
Portugal could yet prove a pipedream. Should Scotland draw Spain, Holland or even Turkey today, the reality would be distinctly frightening, despite Vogts's bold assertion that "anything could happen at Hampden". Anything could. The Scots could be beaten out of sight, a prospect with which Lithuania, 91st in the world, seriously flirted.
The visitors infuriated throughout the first period, their willingness to crumple riling the Scots to the extent that any nerves quickly transformed into snarling irritation. From the angry mish-mash it was the visitors who threatened with Nerijus Barasa spitting a shot that Rab Douglas did well to turn aside.
Robertas Poskus was guilty of a more comical miss before Scotland belatedly stirred, Stevie Crawford and McFadden combining for Gary Naysmith to pull back from the byline. The cross was deflected off Ignas Dedura to Fletcher, who dispatched a glorious volley from the edge of the area beyond Gintaras Stauce.
Today's draw could pit him against either opponent, though given the feeling of invincibility exuding from Fletcher as he departed Clydeside, now is no time to be daunted.
SCOTLAND: Douglas, McNamara, Pressley, Dailly, Naysmith, Cameron (Fletcher 65), Ferguson, Rae, McFadden (Graham Alexander 90), Crawford, Miller (Hutchison 65). Subs Not Used: Neil Alexander, Webster, Wilkie, Harper. Booked: Naysmith, McNamara. Goals: Fletcher 70.
LITHUANIA: Stauce, Dziaukstas, Dedura, Barasa, Regelskis (Beniusis 86), Zvirgzdauskas, Vencevicius (Maciulevicius 80), Baravicius (Cesnauskis 45), Jankauskas, Razanauskas, Poskus. Subs Not Used: Zutautas, Alunderis, Buitkus, Skerla. Booked: Vencevicius, Poskus.
Referee: Claude Colombo (Fra).
