Key results

Scotland 2 England 2

England’s major wobble in qualifying came in Scotland. The 114th instalment of the world’s oldest international fixture was fiery and full of late drama.

England began four points clear at the top of Group F and dominated the game from the off. Harry Kane had a long-range effort over the stranded Craig Gordon cleared off the line by Kieran Tierney, with Marcus Rashford shooting wide from the rebound, but the match went into half-time goalless.

Then came a breathless second half in which four goals were exchanged in the last 20 minutes. Substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain fired England ahead on 70 minutes, but two exquisite free-kicks from Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths – his first and second goals for Scotland, one in either corner past a despairing Joe Hart – within only four minutes of each other turned the game dramatically on its head with time running out. Hampden Park rocked – that is, until Kane volleyed home an ice-cool equaliser for England in the fourth minute of stoppage time (above). For all of their dominance, however, the visitors could only come away with a point.

England 2 Slovakia 1

First hosted second in the group on matchday eight of 10, and after needing a 95th-minute Adam Lallana strike to claim the points in the reverse fixture England were well aware of the challenge Slovakia would present.

That challenge only grew when Stanislav Lobotka ghosted in behind a sleeping defence to give the visitors the lead in the third minute. It took more than half an hour for England to hit back, Eric Dier (below) equalising with a smart strike from a Marcus Rashford cross. Slovakia weren’t without their threat, but in the end it was Rashford himself who struck a superb winner from outside the area. England had their three points against tough opposition, and a month later secured their place in Russia with a 1-0 victory over Slovenia at Wembley.