ALL roads lead to Ljubljana. High roads and low roads, the Tartan Army will be coming down them.

Because the ultimate destination of Scotland’s road to Russia remains unknown. My word Scotland sides have put their followers through the wringer over the years but even by those standards Gordon Strachan’s class of 2017 deserve the tag of cardiac kids.

Now we get to do this all over again in Slovenia on Sunday with a play-off place on the line. Book your place on the sofa – and perhaps some strong drink - now.

Read more: Gordon Strachan calls on Scotland to close out Russia 2018 play-off bid with final Slovenia triumph​

Chris Martin didn’t get the final touch this time, but he didn’t need to. The big man’s arrival from the bench for a blameless and rather luckless James Forrest again raised eyebrows, as did the fact that the manager’s last change was introducing Ikechi Anya for Kieran Tierney at right back, a rather unfashionable move which meant Callum McGregor and John McGinn, two young men who scored a double each at the weekend, didn’t make it onto the field, let alone the starting line-up.

But the usual avalanche of criticism and recrimination can wait, because Anya’s cross was headed for the lunging Martin until Martin Skrtel, the former Liverpool defender, diverted it past Martin Dubravka. A campaign littered with late goals had just seen another one. And thank Goodness a man in white was around to provide the finishing touch, because no-one in the pink of Scotland could get past him all night.

While Hampden wasn’t a sell-out – someone at the SFA really should look at that – how the Tartan Army partied into the night at the end of a match which changed from despair to delight in an instant. It is usually the other way around.

Read more: Scotland 1, Slovakia 0; Late Martin Skrtel own goal keeps Scotland's Russia 2018 qualification hopes alive​

A scapegoat or villain of the piece is also never usually far away on these fraught Hampden showdowns when tournament qualification or play-off places hang in the air. Think the hunt for the home address of Manuel Enrique Mejuto Gonzalez ten years ago on the night our Euro 2008 dream died against the Italians, or a combination of the Czech Republic’s Jan Rezek and Dutch referee Kevin Blom for the late penalty drama which led to us coming a cropper in 2011.

The Tartan Army feared they were stuck in the same old movie when Milorad Mazik, a rather stern looking Serbian ignored a clumsy attempt from Slovakia’s Robert Mak to blunt the thrust of Kieran Tierney on the right-hand edge of the box. As the player put extended both hands on the Celtic full back, he was fortunate to see the match official interpret the action as shoulder to shoulder.

But it soon transpired that this was anything but the same old movie. Even the most fervent footsoldier at Hampden last night couldn’t have dreamed that by the time this game was 23 minutes old Mr Mazik would have booked Mak once for a booking, cautioned two other Slovaks and then returned to give the Greece-based winger, a scorer of two goals against Scotland in Trnava in October, a second yellow and consequent red card for diving. Instead of being the scapegoat, if it wasn’t for the spelling of Robert Mak’s surname someone would have been checking this morning for Scottish ancestry.

Read more: Scotland v Slovakia: How Scotland rated

Mind you, Scotland don’t half have a habit of making things hard for themselves. If losing Scott Brown and Stuart Armstrong to injury on the eve of this tie suggested this was going to be the usual hard luck story, having to play for 70 minutes with a one-man advantage was the most unexpected of plot twists.

Most would regard losing 3-0 to these opponents, something Scotland did in Trnava last October, as a tactical blueprint never to follow. Gordon Strachan, on the other hand – admittedly in the light of the injuries which suddenly afflicted his midfield – that there was something of merit there, fielding Darren Fletcher and Barry Bannan together at the heart of a Scotland midfield for the first time since that very night. While Craig Gordon kept an international goal for the 50th time – chasing the nation’s third successive clean sheet since 199 - Slovakia manager Jan Kozak handed Napoli midfielder Marek Hamsik his 100th cap for his country.

Like Trnava, Scotland were pretty in pink. Also like Trnava, their high pressing tactics led to start where they created plenty of openings. Apart from the ending, Martin Dubravka, rated not certain to start, had a Jan Tomaszewski kind of evening, a night which began when he parried away a bouncing header by Christophe Berra from a Leigh Griffiths cross. Griffiths had a shot too, but the goalkeeper again produced heroics. But the Slovaks seemed to find another gear towards the end of that first half even when shorthanded, while Scotland’s midfield strangely sat off the game.

Read more: Martin reckons Scotland got their reward for maintaining belief​

Knowing a draw would all but secure their play-off berth – only Malta in Trnava await for the Slovaks – by the second half this really was all or nothing stuff. The arrival of Martin got Griffiths into more dangerous positions, while Martin fired a drive off the post. Then, from just beyond England range, Dubravka did what Joe Hart couldn’t, tipping a Griffiths free kick onto the cross bar, the goalkeeper following it up with a close range save from James Morrison.

It was a show of strength when the wily Kozak brought three players on with ten minutes left, including removing Hamsik from the action, but just when all hope was feared lost, Strachan turned to Anya. The rest is history. It really will be if Scotland can make good on their sudden play-off promise by lighting up Ljubljana. It might be wise to expect further late drama.