Scotland manager Gordan Strachan has hailed his side after they gave their World Cup qualification hopes a huge boost by beating Slovakia 1-0 at Hampden on Thursday.

A last-minute own goal by Slovak captain Martin Skrtel secured the victory for the Tartan Army and they have now moved up to second in their qualifying group and are well placed to reach the play-offs for next summer’s finals in Russia.

Strachan’s men are now unbeaten in their last five qualifiers and the former Celtic boss has praised his side for their latest performance, insisting he was always confident they would secure the victory.

“I genuinely thought we were going to score a goal,” Strachan told Sky Sports.

“It would have been a huge disappointment if we didn’t. That was some performance.

“When you see guys are ready to go on and play, and don’t let the disappointment take over, it is easy for you. The 14 boys changed the result from a draw to a victory.”

The Scots can guarantee second place in the group by beating Slovenia in Ljubljana on Sunday but Strachan is staying in the moment for now.

“I’ve not thought about it (the Slovenia game),” he added.

“I’m going to enjoy this for about an hour and a half. We’re going to forget about Slovenia until this is over.”

Scotland have not qualified for a World Cup finals since 1998 and have never made it beyond the group stage of a major international tournament.