Scotland 2-0 Georgia: 'Hell of a lot closer' but Steve Clarke still wary
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'We’re a hell of a lot closer to the tally that will qualify us'
By the time the Tartan Army eventually got home from Hampden on Tuesday, a fair few would have spent the rest of their night trawling through flight comparison websites.
Germany is the destination. June is the month. Euro 2024 is the event. But Steve Clarke isn't comfortable giving the nation the green light to complete any transactions just yet.
Victory over Georgia ensured Scotland began their qualifying campaign with a fourth straight win. Twelve points from a possible 12 are on the board. A record start for the men's national side.
"It's a good start, a really good start," Clarke said. "I said six points wouldn't qualify us and I don't think 12 points will. But we're a hell of a lot closer to the points tally that will qualify us.
"Nobody knows what the points tally will be. So let's just keep picking up points as often as we can and then at the end of the group, we'll tally up and see if we've made it.
"The second half of the campaign is three tough away games and a difficult home game against Norway. So we have to come back in September and focus and go again."
'It was a crazy night'
For 90 uncertain minutes, it looked like the nation wasn't going to have the chance to bask in the glory of a fourth consecutive win.
Torrential rainfall made the Hampden pitch unplayable, with the teams called in just moments after Callum McGregor's opener sent a sodden Tartan Army rocking.
But after what felt like umpteen delays, pitch inspections and warm-ups, the game eventually restarted in front of a patient home crowd that stuck with their team every step of the way.
Centre-back Ryan Porteous said Scotland were "a little startled" when the game kicked off again, but they quickly regained their focus as they dominated their visitors and got the second goal their performance merited when Scott McTominay crashed in a fifth goal in four international games.
"It was tough," midfielder Billy Gilmour said. "One minute, the game was going ahead, the next it wasn't. It was a crazy night. Mentally, we had to be ready. Everyone stuck together, helped out, and we got the three points.
"We've shown everyone we have a real togetherness. We make sure we're challenging each other every day in training. It's clearly good for Scotland. There's a good buzz about the place."
'Georgia were at it. They wanted the game stopped'
It wasn't just the Scottish summer rain that threw the contest into jeopardy, but also Georgia's unwillingness to fulfil the fixture. At one stage, it looked like the away side were refusing to come back out on to the pitch.
Georgia boss Willy Sagnol denied those claims, though, and criticised Uefa by claiming his players had been treated as "objects" at Hampden.
"The fact the referee stopped the game just after the first goal, he put himself under so much pressure," the former France defender said.
"He could have stopped after both Steve [Clarke] and I asked him to stop the match before the goal. But we restarted the game as we had been asked - under massive pressure by Uefa, I have to say.
"The only thing I regret as a manager in these moments is the lack of communication. You don't know why they decide these things, they don't really give you explanations."