David Weir feels Scotland's last-gasp victory on Tuesday has helped to keep their Euro 2012 fire burning.
Veteran centre-half feels McManus header could prove to be priceless
David Weir feels Scotland's last-gasp victory on Tuesday has helped to keep their Euro 2012 fire burning.
Craig Levein's side needed a dramatic 97th minute winner from Stephen McManus to edge them past Liechtenstein in midweek.
With the scores locked at 1-1 heading into the final seconds, it appeared as though the Scots were heading for an embarrassing stalemate on home soil.
However, the late drama has ensured that they now top Group I, with four points taken from their opening two fixtures.
There are tougher tests to come against world champions Spain and the Czech Republic, but the importance of the three points taken against Lichtenstein has not been lost on veteran centre-half Weir, who feels qualification is still up for grabs.
The 40-year-old Rangers centre-half told the
Evening Times: "The game plan was to win the game however it might be. We knew it was going to be difficult and it was. It took us to stoppage time to do it.
"Stephen's goal could end up being the difference between us qualifying and failing to qualify. Certainly, it gets us two more points than we otherwise would have had.
Difficult
"It would have been difficult for everyone, the manager and the players, if we had lost. That is part and parcel of football. If you don't win games at this level you know what comes.
"It goes with the territory. You can dress it up any way you like, if you don't win games then you are going to get criticised, but we won the match in the end."
Next up for Scotland is a meeting with the Czechs, who were stunned by Lithuania in their opening encounter, and Weir admits Scotland will need to raise their game again for a tough trip to Prague.
"That result (Czech Republic's 1-0 defeat to Lithuania) shows you that anything is possible in football," he added.
"The Czech Republic will be looking for revenge when we play them next month after making a losing start, but that game was always going to be difficult anyway."
Scotland beat the Czechs 1-0 back in March in Levein's first match in charge, but that friendly contest was at Hampden Park.
