Scotland suckered into a Georgia street brawl but land final blow on mean-spirited foes – Keith Jackson in Tbilisi

Perhaps they made the mistake of thinking they were coming all this way for some autumn sunshine and the first lap of a victory parade.

Instead, Scotland’s Euro big shots found themselves suckered into a street brawl with a bunch of mean-spirited Georgians and, for the third time in 16 years, they very nearly left the place on the end of a beating and with pockets turned inside out. But sub Lawrence Shankland’s superbly taken equaliser in injury time not only got them out of town with one more Group A point, it also ended a run of three straight defeats.

Napoli’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was the troublemaker-in-chief, scoring twice in between tormenting and intimidating anyone in a white shirt. He might be an artist with the ball at his feet but there is a slippery, street urchin quality to this wonderfully talented winger which is a lot more difficult to admire. Especially for those on the receiving end as Steve Clarke and his players were last night.

Scott McTominay’s seventh goal of the campaign fleetingly looked like restoring some order but it was only when Shankland headed home that Scotland got what they deserved for showing sheer bravery in the face of genuine hostility. There are some things you need to know about Georgia’s chaotic, sprawling capital city.

First, if you’re planning a short, 10-minute taxi ride, factor in the traffic and give yourself an hour or two of wriggle room. Because there is no such thing as space and time out there on the road. Then sit back amid the pandemonium and soak in the sounds of demonic horn blasting, revving engines and barking stray dogs. Honestly, if making ear-splitting, non-stopping uproar was an international sport then this lot would have already qualified for the Euros.

Ins