Scotland head coach Steve Clarke was not impressed by his side’s performance despite their 2-1 win over Belarus in a World Cup qualifying match on Sunday.
The Scots also delivered a below-par display against Greece last Thursday, but still ran out 3-1 winners after scoring three times in the last half hour of the clash.
The Tartan Army struggled to contain the Belarusians for majority of the encounter and were only lucky to secure the win, which moves them joint-top in Group C.
Speaking after the match, Clarke who took charge of the team for the 72nd time expressed his disapproval at the overall performance.
“It’s possibly as disappointed as I’ve been over the whole 72 games. We just didn’t turn up.
But before I go down that route, and you start asking me questions about why I’m feeling like that, it’s also to point out that performances don’t get you qualification. And tonight was certainly not a performance”, Clarked remarked after the game.
“But we got three points and that’s six points from the double-header so we’re really pleased about that, as everyone with a Scottish connection will be, but the performance was way below par.”
The match started greatly for the Scots who went ahead inside the first 15 minutes through striker Che Adams.
However, Belarus grew into the game and were very unfortunate to be denied an equalizer by VAR, who ruled out a second half strike for a foul in the buildup.
Scott McTominay then doubled Scotland’s advantage later in the game, before the visitors pulled one back to set up a tense finish to the game.
“It’s a head-scratcher. But I’ll go away, I’ll have a look, and we’ll analyse it”, he added.
“We’ll look at what we have to do better and how we can be more cohesive as a team without the ball. And how we have to be better as a team when we have possession.
“I’ve told them that in the dressing room, so they know what my feelings are”, Clarke continued.
“But I’ve got a great faith in them and I trust them absolutely. And I know that next month they’ll be a different animal.”
Scotland are second in Group C behind Denmark and have been assured of a top-two finish ahead of their final round of qualifiers next month.
Olakitan is a young writer with a strong passion for sports, having gained experience with IndyPress and Nimelssa Press. His enthusiasm for sports inspired him to cover events both within his school and beyond. With a deep understanding of the game and a refined skillset, he brings sports coverage to a broad, global audience in a way that’s engaging and accessible.
