THE fate of Scotland is to be involved in Groups of Death.

Every draw for a major championship is immediately followed by lamentations that would be best accompanied by a pibroch and an appointment at the Co-op. There are those who believe Scotland dressing-rooms do not smell of liniment but embalming fluid.

There was a spark of life in Skopje last night. It was embodied by Ikechi Anya, the boy from Castlemilk who has a back story so colourful it should only be perused with the protection of sunglasses.

The winner was scored by Shaun Maloney, a fine footballer with a much chronicled history. But it was Anya who was the story. The Watford winger is a Castlemilk boy with a Nigerian father, a Romanian mother and a career that has stretched through Halesowen Town to a loan spell at Cadiz.

At 25, he was known only to members of the Tartan Army who do not have a life but a well-thumbed copy of Rothman's football yearbook. Even then, he is a footnote in the contemporary chronicles of English football. He will wake this morning to find this relative anonymity has ended north of the border at least. A promising introduction against Belgium was followed last night by an eye-catching performance against Macedonia. His second-half goal was precise and decisive but it was his pace and trickery that gave Scotland life throughout a match where they created a series of chances.

To veterans of these international expeditions, the 2014 World Cup section has been a group of death through steady, irresistible strangulation. The first victim was, of course, any chance of qualification. The initial double header at Hampden against Serbia and Macedonia provided just two points and one lingering feeling, namely that the web search for Rio flights need not be placed under favourites.

The most grievous damage, therefore, was inflicted on a nation's sense of hope. Sunny optimism, of course, is not a national characteristic but there was a belief that things could only get better. To which the Setterday Sanny in all us can only reply: "Aye, that'll be right." Bar an unlikely victory in Croatia, Scotland have staggered through the group.

They had a measured stride in Skopje, though. The pride of Scotland - and of a second-half goalkeeper from Rochdale, a centre-back from that traditionally Caledonian enclave of Brighton, and the match-winner born in Malaysia - took on all that the one-time conquerors of the world (and, all right, once a very wee chunk of Yugoslavia) could throw at them last night.

First, it must be said Macedonia were poor in the first half. They played better in the second but the Swan Inn Sunday league second team could have played better than Macedonia in the first.

Second, it has to be noted that Scotland may have had some influence on this first-half incompetence.

Gordon Strachan has a reputation as a meticulous organiser and there was a shape to Scotland and, whisper it, even the odd sign of a swagger, particularly when Anya was released on the left wing. He was given the ball so often it was as if he owned it and he would go home with it if he did not have a regular kick.

The winger was not the reincarnation of wingers of old - he may still be at Watford because he can make the wrong decision in the final third - but his directness and quickness gives the Scotland manager a different type in attack.

Strachan is restricted in his options because of a dearth of talent in some areas, most specifically central defence. Russell Martin, that Scot from Brighton, has at least the threat of competence about him and his presence in Scotland's backline ensures more than a semblance of organisation though he was to blame when Jovan Kostovski ran off him to score the equaliser from Goran Pandev's exquisite pass.

The deployment of Charlie Mulgrew in midfield was also a success. He largely countered the threat of the peerless Pandev who, at 30, was the best player on the park last night as shown by his pass for the goal. Steven Naismith, too, can reflect on a match when he might have scored with a header from an Anya cross and should have been played in by the winger on at least two occasions. The Everton striker was clever when he was left isolated and predictably committed throughout.

The man of the match award, however, had to go to Anya. Scotland will have a quite word of thanks for Matt Gilks, who hails from Rochdale, who came on for the injured David Marshall, to make a series of fine saves to deny a more aggressive Macedonia who scored an equaliser he was helpless to prevent.

Maloney, culpable in the build-up to Kostovski's goal, scored late and beautifully from a free-kick to give Scotland three points, to take the team off the bottom of Group A and ensure that a night of opportunity did not end in the undeserved fate of victory denied. He also blew gently on the flickering flames of hope warming Scotland supporters.

There may, just may, be life after the group of death.