Euro 2024 qualifying: Scotland 'can still top our group' despite Spain loss - Scott McKenna
- Published
Scott McKenna (bottom right) thinks Scotland's disallowed goal gave Spain a boost in energy
The Scotland squad will gather round the television to watch Norway face Spain on Sunday fully confident that they will qualify for the Euro 2024 finals - even if their celebrations are further delayed.
Steve Clarke's side remain three points clear at the top of Group A despite Thursday's 2-0 defeat in Seville.
And they will secure qualification unless third-top Norway, who won 4-0 in Cyprus, keep winning - this time against the group's top seeds.
"I'm sure we'll be watching the game on Sunday," centre-half Scott McKenna told BBC Scotland.
The 26-year-old pointed out that "we would have loved to do it ourselves" by securing at least a point in Spain but stressed that "it is obviously still in our hands" even if Norway win on Sunday.
"If we win our next two qualifiers, we can still top the group, so that's what we've got to look forward to," the Nottingham Forest defender said.
"It's important that we don't dwell on it. There's been a lot of work done in winning the first five matches and I think there are still plenty of positives to take from the way we defended for large parts of the game."
McKenna, who had been handed a start in place of the injured Kieran Tierney, thought the game turned on the decision to overturn what would have been an opening goal for Scotland initially awarded following a Scott McTominay free-kick.
"It was obviously a big decision when that free-kick got disallowed," he said. "I think it was either for offside or a foul on the goalkeeper. I'm not sure which one, but either way it was marginal.
"It picked their crowd up and gave them a bit of a lift. Spain knew they were in a game and we made it very difficult for them and they had to work to get their goals.
"It is always going to be difficult against a team like Spain. It's important that you stay concentrated for the full 90 minutes and, for the one or two lapses in concentration we had, they punished us."
Goalkeeper Angus Gunn thought "we did unbelievably well most of the game" and that Scotland should "keep our heads high and take this performance as a positive" going into Tuesday's friendly away to France - and then their next qualifier in Georgia.
He thought the Scots could have got the point they needed had McTominay's strike counted but stressed: "We've put ourselves in an unbelievable position."