Gutsy Scotland stayed strong to sink 10-man Croatia 1-0 as John McGinn‘s late winner breathed new life into our Nations League campaign.
McGinn was a surprise substitute but the Aston Villa skipper, with the help of the electric Ben Doak, climbed off the bench to fire past Dominik Kotarski in the 86th minute and set Hampden tonto. The visitors had a perceived sense of injustice over Petar Sucic’s red card, however, there was no argument to be had over the two yellow cards which earned him an early bath before the half time whistle.
Steve Clarke was keenly aware of our recent uptick in form counts for little if results didn’t follow and he banished a barren run of 14 months without a competitive victory – that’s enough of the negatives for a country who appear to have recovered from a nightmare Euro 2024 campaign. The boss has beamed over improved performances against the top tier in Europe and now we stand 90 minutes from pulling off the great escape against Poland. A win is needed but it appears on after his rivals were pasted by Portugal.
Craig Gordon was so busy in the first half he turned into a volleyball player, such was the frequency he was punching the ball away from danger. Scotland were emboldened after the break and were battering at the door before McGinn removed it from its hinges. Here’s 5 talking points from Hampden.
Emotional Clarke gets his win
Clarke is often clamped for a perceived lack of emotion, however, his angst over our early struggles turned the usually stoic national team boss into a silent movie star – it appeared he was directly communicating to the 50,000 punters through dramatic body language. The game changed on that red card, however, there was something eating at Clarke over his shape which forced his exposed goalkeeper into multiple vital saves. There have been green shoots of optimism in recent months and now the wretched record which stuck in the throats of many is gone.
To Warsaw we go
Amazingly, in a group we were almost winless in after five games, we stand one famous victory away from a remarkable shot at avoiding exiting Group A of the Nations League. And good news will greet our weary nation, as we take on a team who are feeling the heat in the way Scotland was before Friday night. It’s a Polish team minus Robert Lewandowski, whose absence has caused a national storm, and a win will see us enter a relegation play-off to stay in the top tier. Is that a good thing? Yes, it appears so as we continue to compete against the best.
A runny Doak
There was a moment in the first half, the subtle grumble from 50,000 showed the fans spotted it, too, as Doak decided against giving £77m Man City standout Josko Gvardiol a run on the outside. You see, that was the go to ploy for the Liverpool winger during his all-action display in Zagreb, and has been commonplace during his loan at Middlesbrough. But caution went out the window in the second half – no more so than his desire to gamble at the back stick for the gilt-edged chance he couldn’t finish. But his daring style is the type which deserves rewards and it came with his role in the winner.
Mod goes off his rocker
There was something heartwarming about watching Modric doing his dinger in over his perceived injustice. Yes, that’s THE Mr Modric, Real Madrid royalty, who is regarded by many as the finest midfielder of his era. He still cares, he still wants to win. The 38-year-old hasn’t lost any zeal for the beautiful game and still kicks every ball for the nation he loves. It was a dreich Glasgow night but the passion on display from a bonafide legend was a rare bright spot on a damp evening in Mount Florida, his sumptuous pass in the second half deserved better from Pasalic. He wasn’t pleased as Scotland sent him home to think again.
Fans get what they want
The ire which followed our meek resistance in Germany has dissipated with a fanbase largely accepting of an improved level of performance in the Nations League. And the ability to put it on the 10 men in the final exchanges at Hampden left supporters positive, Clarke has insisted he is itching to lead our nation to North America for the World Cup and he has rediscovered his touch.