Scott McTominay scored a brace to help Scotland produce one of the shock football scores of the midweek action in Euro 2024 qualifying. The Manchester United midfielder, who scored twice in Saturday’s 3-0 win over Cyprus, scored after only seven minutes at Hampden Park. Spain failed to make an impact against Steve Clarke’s much-improved team, with Stuart Armstrong, Ryan Christie, and Lyndon Dykes all going close. Just after the break, McTominay volleyed home Kieran Tierney’s deflected cross to give Scotland their first victory over Spain since 1984. Steve Clarke’s team led Group A after winning both of their first two games.
Scotland started three players who came off the bench in Saturday’s triumph over Cyprus for the visit of Spain. McTominay came in for Ryan Jack, Ryan Christie took over for Stuart Armstrong, and Lyndon Dykes took over for the injured Che Adams. Spain made eight changes after defeating Norway 3-0, with former Stoke and Newcastle striker Joselu getting his first start after scoring twice off the bench on Saturday. Scotland got off to a fast start, and McTominay continued where he left off, scoring after just seven minutes from Andy Robertson’s cutback.
Spain sought a quick reaction, as Dani Ceballos threaded a pass through to Mikel Oyarzabal, who was unable to handle the ball and it rolled out. In the 15th minute, John McGinn found Stuart Armstrong on the edge of the box, but his effort went just wide of the post. On his second appearance for Scotland, goalkeeper Angus Gunn stood steady as Spain attempted to level the game again, saving Joselou’s header before the Espanyol striker cannoned another shot off the crossbar.
Porro went down after being bumped by Robertson’s shoulder, with the Liverpool defender receiving the first booking of the game as boos and screams of ‘cheat’ resonated around the National Stadium. When Spain began to have an increasing influence on the game, Rodri headed just over from a corner kick and Gunn cleared Porro’s effort. McTominay curled a pass towards Christie in the box, but David Garcia surged forward to clear the threat before Kepa was called upon to punch McGinn’s ball over the bar. Dykes had a golden opportunity to double Scotland’s lead as halftime loomed. He got the better of Garcia and lifted the ball over Kepa’s head, only for it to loop over the bar.
Scotland got their second goal shortly after the break, thanks to another double from McTominay. Kierney sprinted down the left flank, and his pass fell to the Manchester United midfielder, who volleyed past Kepa. The Tartan Army was dozing off. Spain attempted another response, but Ryan Porteous stood firm in defense when Pino attempted a shot in the 59th minute, with Iago Aspas blazing over soon after. With Spain already making substitutions, Steve Clarke turned to his bench in the 75th minute, with Kenny McLean and Liam Cooper replacing Ryan Christie and Kieran Tierney, who were both injured.
While Scotland continued to seem comfortable against the world’s tenth-ranked team, Nathan Patterson and Lewis Ferguson replaced Aaron Hickey and John McGinn, with Lawrence Shankland replacing Lyndon Dykes. Flower of Scotland rang around the National Stadium as the clock struck twelve. The perfect start to Euro 2024 qualifying, and a nation dares to hope once more.
“Six points do not qualify you. There is still a long way to go. We’re quite delighted with the performance – two excellent performances in the nine days we’ve been together,” Scotland head coach Steve Clarke said. “We needed to take advantage of the two home games as much as possible, and we did just that. The players deserve all of the credit. We had 16 players on the pitch, and none of them failed us. The seven players in the stands were as pleased as everyone else. We have a good group, but we’re working hard to improve, and this was our moment to leave our stamp on the group.”
“The game went just as we predicted. It was a challenging game. We had a strategy and stuck to it. We had a handful of scoring chances in the first half, but it all came down to tiny technicalities in the end,” Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente said. “Overall, I was pleased with what I witnessed on the pitch. I believe there is yet hope for the future. It has no bearing on our broader strategy. We’ve got six games remaining, and we’re going for it. There are no easy games in this group, and we must continue to work and improve.”
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