Slovakia won a three-way fight for second place in Group F of European qualifying for next year’s World Cup thanks to a 3-0 victory over Malta and the 2-2 draw between Slovenia and Scotland on Sunday.
England, which was already sure of first place and an automatic berth in the tournament in Russia, beat Lithuania 1-0 to conclude an undefeated campaign with 26 points from a possible 30.
Slovakia finished ahead of Scotland on goal difference and must wait to see if it has clinched a place in the playoffs, containing the eight best runners-up from the nine groups. The group stage finishes on Tuesday.
The Scots started the final round in second place and would have guaranteed a playoff spot with a victory in Ljubliana.
They went 1-0 up through Leigh Griffiths, then equalized for 2-2 in the 88th through Robert Snodgrass. Bostjan Cesar’s red card in injury time left Slovenia a man down for the final three minutes, but Scotland couldn’t find a winner.