Almost simultaneously, 379 miles apart, as two deadlocked World Cup qualifying matches neared their conclusion, two of the scruffiest goals imaginable crept over the respective lines at Hampden Park and Wembley to all but end Slovenia’s World Cup dreams. It was a boot to the nether regions so cruel and so, well, Scottish, that it was quite the novelty not to have been on the receiving end for once.

Having been there and worn the T-shirt, it was hard not to feel sympathy for the shell-shocked Slovenian players as they shuffled into the mixed zone at Wembley with hangdog expressions to graciously offer their verdict on the now thankless task that awaits them this evening in Ljubljana.

Technically, Slovenia are not quite out of the reckoning yet. If they can turn Scotland over and Malta pull off a miracle away to Slovakia, there is still the tiniest glimmer of hope they could make it through. But that’s all it is.

Surely the greater motivation of the Scots given the more realistic reward that is on offer for them will provide an edge over their devastated opponents, who you may think have little to play for now apart from the salvation of national pride?

Perhaps not. Moments after the final whistle in London, Slovenian head coach Srecko Katanec announced that after four years, the match against Gordon Strachan’s men in his nation’s capital tonight will be his last.

For the likes of SV Darmstadt forward Roman Bezjak, the news was like salt being rubbed into his wounds, but it also gave both he and his teammates a jolt to snap out of any feelings of self-pity, and handed them the motivation going into the Scotland game that may otherwise have been missing.

Make no mistake, these Slovenian players want to send their manager out in style.

“For us, Sunday will be hard now,” Bezjak said. “We don’t have a chance to qualify, but we know Scotland need to win to go the World Cup play-offs. We will play like we always do though, and we will want to win the game.

“We were told just after the match at Wembley that our coach will be leaving after the Scotland game, so we will be playing this game for him and we are determined to give him a fitting send-off by winning the match.

“We want to do it for the coach, he deserves it, but not only him. We also want to win for the people of Slovenia, our fans, we always have to give them 100%.”

Bezjak, like many of his teammates who offered their opinions on Scotland, was overwhelmingly positive. He was hugely impressed by Gordon Strachan’s side in the Scots’ 1-0 triumph in Glasgow back in March, and his colleague, Chievo’s Valter Birsa, went as far to say that Scotland were a tougher side to play against than England.

Bezjak was slightly less committal on that score, but his admiration for the Scots was undoubted. That being said, he feels that the Slovenian’s strength at home and weakness on the road may be attributes which could just as readily be attached to the Scotland side.

“I played in Glasgow and it was a really tough game,” he said. “When we have played away we have had a lot of problems in this qualification group, and Hampden was a really difficult place to go.

“When we have played at home, we have played better, and now against Scotland I hope it will be very different to that night in Glasgow.

“At home, Scotland were so aggressive and they played very well, and 1-0 wasn’t a fair reflection on how much they dominated us. They had so many chances and should have won by two or three at least. I was very impressed.

“In Slovenia though we are hoping it will be a different story, and hopefully for us, a different result.”

After being blown away in Glasgow by the greater physicality of Scotland, Bezjak’s teammate Andraz Sporar is wary of the aggression by which the visitors to the Stozice Stadium are likely to set about their task this evening.

Five games ago, these Scotland players would have bitten your hand and a good portion of your arm off to be in this position going into the final game, and their hunger to make the most of the position that the four wins and single draw since have earned them is unquestionable.

Matching that desire with little but the pride of the fans to play for, Sporar feels, may prove a big task for the Slovenians, but it is one he is willing to at least take on for the sake of those who follow their national side.

“Scotland will go with all their power because they must win to qualify and they are in a good position, better than us,” Sporar said.

“But we’re playing at home, and we must give our best and give a little joy to our fans in the last game with a possible victory.

“They deserve this. They came to Wembley and supported us so we must give something back. It was unfortunate we lost against England but we have one final game to do this.

“There will be a lot of Scottish fans in the crowd, so that will make for a good atmosphere.”

And as everyone who has watched Scotland over the years will wearily acknowledge, football can be as unpredictable as the infamous Scottish weather, and just as harsh too. There probably won’t be too many Tartan Army footsoldiers who feel that what lurks beneath their kilts is quite safe from the merciless boot of the footballing gods just yet.

“We’re playing at home, so we have to be professional and we still have a small technical chance, so we must win,” added Sporar. To paraphrase the SFA’s marketing slogan for the campaign, surely not this time?