The first whistle ended some hysterical pre-match hype . . . and once the real business began it was Ukraine, looking calm and assured, who had the first effort on goal. Shevchenko drove a 25yard shot over Craig Gordon's bar. However, it was the Scots who scored after only three minutes . . . through Miller. Andriy Nesmachny was booked for a lunge at Scott Brown wide on the right, and from McFadden's whipped-in free-kick Miller headed home at the near post.

In the 10th minute Hampden erupted again when McCulloch made it 2-0. After yet another Ukraine foul 35 yards from goal, Barry Ferguson took a quick free-kick with McFadden then flighted the ball over to the unmarked Rangers midfielder inside the box. McCulloch controlled the ball and curled a wonderful shot past the helpless Olexandr Shovkovskiy. To show the visitors' frustration, Shevchenko was then booked for pulling Brown back as the Celtic midfielder moved with purpose towards the Ukraine box.

Ukraine continued to probe diligently for the goal that would bring them back in the game and Scotland were forced back deep into defence. But the home side remained dangerous when going forward and after some nice play between Ferguson, Stephen Pearson and Brown, the Celtic midfielder almost found himself through on goal, tripping up only at the last moment. However, in the 24th minute Shevchenko pulled a goal back for Ukraine when he latched on to a cross by Nesmachniy which came off Stephen McManus' shoulder and drilled the ball in to the roof of the net.

As a nervousness entered Scotland's game for the first time, Ukraine defender Volodymyr Yezersky failed to trap a Voronin punt when he was alone in the Scotland penalty area with only Gordon to beat. Scotland defender Alan Hutton was denied a good penalty claim when he was challenged by Vorobei inside the Ukraine penalty area but Dutch referee Pieter Vink was not impressed. The first half ended with a resolute Scotland defence repelling a Ukraine who had a decent penalty claim of their own when Naysmith brought Shevchenko crashing to the ground.

McCulloch required attention seconds after the restart when he fell awkwardly after an aerial challenge and had to be helped off for treatment before returning to the action.

In the 49th minute, as both sides tried to settle, Voronin almost silenced Hampden when his volley from 25 yards sped towards goal only to go a yard or two wide of the target. The visitors were clearly in the ascendancy, Scotland defending increasingly deeper and with more desperation.

In the 59th minute McCulloch was replaced by Christian Dailly but it still looked like being a long half-hour for McLeish's men. Ukraine introduced Serhiy Nazarenko, a surprise omission, for Vorobei moments later and still the visitors continued to press for the equaliser. In the 64th minute some good wide play by Ferguson, Pearson and McFadden allowed the Everton player to burst in to the Ukraine box but the visitors had clearly learned from their early mistakes and the move was thwarted. But in the 67th minute McFadden, out of the blue, restored Scotland's twogoal cushion. The Everton player took a pass from Hutton on the left-hand side of the Ukraine penalty area and drove a left-footed shot past Shovkovskiy.

The goal sent the Hampden into raptures at the same time as Scotland continued their unlikely but brilliant bit for qualification. .

Elsewhere in Group B Thierry Henry equalled Michel Platini as France's all-time leading goalscorer with his 41st international goal in Torshavn. The eighthminute strike gave Les Bleus a 2-0 lead in the Faroe Islands. Platini played 72 games for the French and was captain of the 1984 team that won the European Championship.