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The Scotsman
  • 26/03/2024
Debrief from Hampden after defeat for Scotland.
Transcript
00:00 Good evening from Hampden Park where it has finished. Scotland 0, Northern Ireland 1.
00:08 A very disappointing night for Steve Clarke, his players and the national team as Scotland
00:14 go seven games now without a win and not in the best of shape going into the European
00:20 Championships this summer in Germany. Steve Clarke who said he was sulking after the 4-0
00:25 defeat by the Netherlands on Friday said only a win would do here against Northern Irish
00:30 who are ranked several places beneath Scotland in the world list. But to be perfectly honest
00:36 it was Scotland that looked like the team that were second best here on a very cold
00:41 and pretty flat Hampden for the large part. The Scots found it really difficult to break
00:45 down a well organised, well drilled and tenacious Northern Irish team who carried a massive
00:51 threat on the break. They were up for it and they turned the game into a real battle. Scotland
00:56 failed to really raise themselves until the second half but that time the damage was done.
01:00 The goal came in the first half, a horrible moment for right back Nathan Paterson who
01:07 gave the ball away carelessly to young Connor Bradley in the penalty box. Liverpool loanees
01:14 showed great composure to shift the ball onto his right foot and fire a shot high past Angus
01:19 Gunn with the aid of a deflection. Scotland had so much of the ball for large parts of
01:24 the game but just could not break down the rigid and disciplined Northern Irish defence.
01:29 The game got a little bit stretched towards the end and Northern Ireland were clearing
01:32 on. Laurence Shankland had two good chances, one well blocked and one header that just
01:37 went over the crossbar but you felt Scotland could have played for a long time tonight
01:41 and not got a goal that would have got them a draw. Not many plus points, Ciaran Tierney
01:46 played pretty well at left back and Lewis Ferguson came on as a sub and showed some
01:53 energy but it was a bad night for Scotland compounded by an injury to Andy Robertson.
01:58 The captain came off with what looked like a left ankle injury following a tackle by
02:03 Tree Hume in the first half. Liverpool fans and Scotland fans will be worried about his
02:09 fitness and condition ahead of the run into the season and of course the preparation to
02:14 the Euros. It means that Scotland go into the next set of fixtures in June against Gibraltar
02:21 away then Finland back here in real need of some positivity. A team that qualified for
02:27 the European Championships in fairly straightforward fashion has started to drift alarmingly off
02:33 piste and Clarke will be desperate when the players reconvene after the club season ends
02:39 to get Scotland back on track after what was a very disappointing and slightly concerning
02:45 evening here at the National Stadium. Where it finished, Scotland 0, Northern Ireland
02:49 1.
02:50 [BLANK_AUDIO]