How it happened
Scotland lost a game they led and, by the quality of their chances, had reason to win. Slovenia took a 2-1 victory at Hampden Park in League B, Group 1, on Matchday 4, with both goals arriving in the second half.
R. Christie put the hosts ahead in the 31st minute, and Scotland went in at half-time 1-0 up. Slovenia levelled in the 56th minute through A. Matko, then went in front in the 71st through D. Šturm. Scotland did not find a second goal in the remaining time.
Cloud and a temperature of 12C greeted the 18:45 UTC kick-off. There were no red cards.
The numbers
Scotland had the better of the underlying figures. They recorded 2.2 expected goals to Slovenia's 1.33, took 11 shots to 10, put five on target to Slovenia's three, and held 54% of possession. Slovenia won four corners to Scotland's one.
Jan Oblak kept the margin close. The Slovenia goalkeeper made four saves and earned a match rating of 7.6.
The highest rating on the pitch went to Aljoša Matko, who scored, was credited with an assist and had one key pass, for a match rating of 8.5 across 89 minutes. Danijel Šturm scored and was also credited with an assist. He made four key passes, had 52 touches, and earned a rating of 8.0. For Scotland, Jack Hendry was the top-rated home player with a match rating of 7.7 and 106 touches.
What it means
Slovenia take the result on a night when the expected-goals column favoured their opponents. Their last ten games read WLWDLDWLDL, with three wins, three draws and four defeats, and this adds a win to that run.
Scotland's last ten read LWLDLLWWWL before this game, and this adds another defeat. The sides had met on 26 September, when Slovenia hosted and the match finished 0-0. This time the finish was the difference, and Slovenia had more of it.