ARITHMETICALLY, Scotland can still come up short in their bid to finish in the top two in Group A and miss out on an automatic place in the Euro 2024 finals in Germany next summer.
The national side has, as their longsuffering supporters will readily testify, made an art form out of snatching failure from the jaws of glory down the years so it would not be entirely unlike them.
But that was then and this is now.
It is now inconceivable that Andy Robertson and his compatriots will fail to progress via the traditional route following a fifth successive victory tonight.
First half goals from Scott McTominay, Ryan Porteous and John McGinn put the final outcome against Cyprus in the AEK Arena in Larnaca beyond any doubt. They saw out a comfortable triumph.
The 3-0 win over the bottom-placed team in the section restored their nine point lead over Spain, who had thrashed Georgia 7-1 in Tbilisi earlier in the day, at the top of the table.
Steve Clarke, who has been responsible for a remarkable upturn in fortunes during his four year reign, will continue to, in his inimitable manner, urge caution and stress the remaining fixtures will be far from straightforward.
Yet, his men could, if the result in the Norway v Georgia game next week goes their way, qualify on Tuesday with three matches to spare without kicking a ball.
Scotland have now won all of their Group A matches and scored 12 goals and conceded just one, although not from open play, in the process.
If they continue perform so well, their disbelieving fans will be tipping them to lift the trophy next July.
Here are five talking points from another joyous evening for the country.
CAPTAIN FANTASTIC
Liverpool left back Robertson became only the 10th outfield player to reach the 65 cap mark for Scotland against Cyprus this evening.
The national team captain, who joined Sir Kenny Dalglish, Darren Fletcher, Alex McLeish, Paul McStay, Tom Boyd, Kenny Miller, Davie Weir, Christian Dailly and Willie Miller in an elite group, showed exactly why with another assured personal display.
The former Queen’s Park, Dundee United and Hull City man was involved in the opening goal. He made a searing break down the left flank and got on the end of a Che Adams thrown in. He picked out McGinn with a pinpoint cross and the midfielder flicked it on to McTominay.
The defender then whipped a dipping free-kick into the opposition area which Jack Hendry got on the end of and nodded down to Porteous. His centre back partner controlled it and opened his international account.
Robertson has often been unable to replicate his club form for his country. But in the past six months he has been simply sensational. Who knows how many appearances he will go on to make in a dark blue jersey?
RETURN OF THE MAC
The lack of game time that McTominay has had at Manchester United this season had been a source of concern to many Scotland supporters in the build-up to this encounter.
They need not have worried themselves. The 26-year-old, despite only being involved in seven minutes of competitive football in recent weeks, picked up where he had left off against Georgia back in June.
The midfielder had the simplest of tasks to break the deadlock in the sixth minute. He nodded in from just a yard or two out. Still, he deserves credit for getting into exactly the right place at exactly the right time.
McTominay is now the joint top scorer in Euro 2024 qualifying alongside Romelu Lukaku of Belgium and Rasmus Hojlund of Denmark. Not bad for a guy who only found the target once in his first 37 outings for his adopted homeland.
SUPER JOHN MCGINN
McTominay has, despite his prowess of late in the final third, some way to go to match the international tally of his fellow midfielder McGinn.
The Aston Villa captain netted his 17th goal for his country when he rounded off a slick attacking move on the half hour mark.
Billy Gilmour unleashed McTominay down the right and he advanced before cutting inside and supplying his team mate on the edge of the area. McGinn curled and unstoppable shot just inside the left post.
He remained the seventh top goalscorer in Scotland history despite his well-taken effort. But catching and overtaking Miller and Ally McCoist, who have 18 and 19 to their name respectively, will be firmly in his sights.
STRENGTH IN DEPTH
Clarke made just one change to the starting line-up which took to the field to play Georgia in monsoon conditions at Hampden back in June and it was an expected one.
Adams, the Southampton striker who missed that outing due to injury, came in for Lyndon Dykes, who has not been involved in Queens Park Rangers’ last three matches, up front.
The 23-times capped 27-year-old has netted three times in the Championship in England this term so it was a straightforward call for the manager to make.
He worked hard and caused Temuri Ketsbaia’s rearguard all kinds of problems before being removed in the second half and replaced by Dykes.
Kenny McLean, the hero against Norway in Oslo at the tail end of last season, also took over from Gilmour, who has well and truly got his mojo back, in the centre of the park.
Stuart Armstrong, Nathan Patterson and Ryan Christie replaced McGinn, Aaron Hickey and McTominay respectively in the closing stages.
Clarke has a number of quality options in every position in the team and that is a big part of the reason that Scotland continue to perform at such a high level on a consistent basis.
WHAT AWAY GAME?
The excitement which has grown among the Tartan Army as their heroes have gone from strength to strength in their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign was reflected by their strong presence in the crowd this evening.
The visitors received just under 4,000 tickets from their hosts. But conservative estimates put their number at nearer 6,000 in the 8,000 capacity stadium.
It was not a wasted journey to the Mediterranean for the Tartan Army. They revelled in their team’s showing from kick-off to the final whistle.
A fair few of them will be checking out the price of flights to and accommodation in Germany in the days ahead.
