Scotland Men's Football Team

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Scotland's John McGinn used the disappointment of not starting against Croatia to drive him on to deliver an "outstanding" display in Poland, says brother Stephen.

The Aston Villa captain returned from injury last month but was named among the substitutes for Friday's Nations League game at Hampden.

Off the bench, the talismanic midfielder came on to score a late winner before netting the opener in the dramatic victory in Warsaw.

The goals took McGinn's Scotland tally to 20, meaning he now ranks in the top five scorers in the men's national team's history.

Speaking on the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast, brother Stephen said: "One of the biggest things that happens to John when he gets a setback is he comes back stronger than ever.

"I know how disappointed he was not to be starting on Friday night. In football, you don't have any given right to start a game, but it can just light a fire up.

"I think it was his best performance in Poland. I thought he was outstanding. That's the pressure that comes with being super John McGinn, it's nice to see that back."

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Read Wednesday's Scottish gossip

Jane Lewis and Amy Canavan
BBC Sport Scotland

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Few who watched Scotland take on Finland in their final friendly before Euro 2024 would have thought Craig Gordon would be one of the stars in the Nations League campaign.

The veteran goalkeeper, who had been omitted from the Euros squad, came off the bench at Hampden for his 75th cap and what seemed to be his Scotland swansong.

But Gordon has made a career out of defying the odds.

He always said he'd fight his way back into Steve Clarke's thoughts, and while injury to Angus Gunn opened the door, he has flourished since reclaiming the starting spot.

Some big saves in Scotland's last-gasp win over Poland Warsaw ensured a relegation play-off come March, but will the then 42-year-old Gordon be game?

"I think I'm just quite lucky, the Hearts keeper said. "Let's see if I can still be here in March at 42 to have another couple of games, and then hopefully try and stay at this level.

"I still have the motivation of course, that never goes away, and just as long as I can keep my body in good shape then I give myself an opportunity.

"It's brilliant that I'm still at this level, and hopefully we can stay in Group A which would be a huge achievement. I'd love to try and still be part of it.

"There's a lot of hard work to be done between now and March to stay at this level and make sure that I'm fit enough to be able to do that."

Gordon's performance in Warsaw was all the more impressive considering he felt ill in the build-up.

"Yeah I was struggling, even in the warm-up," he added.

"But I was determined to give it go a go. It was a struggle but I managed to get through it. I don't really know how, I think just when you get out there, instinct takes over and you just play the game."

How do you sum that one up then, Tartan Army?

We asked you to give it your best shot and send us your views on Scotland's last-gasp win over Poland in Warsaw.

Here's what some of you said:

Steven: Ben Doak is exactly the type of player we have been craving for years. Years ahead of him and a focal point for us to build future teams around. Bring on the qualifiers.

Jim: What a game of football. Both teams up for it. It had everything. Great goalkeeping, defending and attacking. One end to another. The kind of game Scotland loves. Can't pick out one player because there were so many on a game. You did your country proud, Scotland.

David: Superb play from Scotland. Classy, gritty, determined - what a super team performance. Only thing left to say is... a knighthood for Stevie Clarke, please!

Alex: I genuinely believed that there was no better man for the job than Clarke to turn things around after the Euros. His whole persona is perfect for the Scotland job in facing the media and possible fan backlash. His thick skin to us and obvious relationship with the players is spot on.

Stephen: Another performance deserving of praise, to the players and coaches. These performances are the best from a Scotland squad in decades. The criticisms aimed at the defence, throughout the campaign, have now surely been shown to be unfounded. Doak, Billy Gilmour, John McGinn and John Souttar are the outstanding players of recent games.

Reece: I thought they really deserved the win. The best I've seen them play in a while.

Graham: A fantastic campaign from Clarke and the squad. Competing in every game and getting deserved results to get a play-off. Clarke's a top manager and we need some realism from the press who continuously get too high or too low.

Amy Canavan
BBC Sport Scotland

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Lennon Miller might be after a word with his dad.

Lee Miller has spent a lot of time lately, rightly, gushing over his son's brilliance, but now it is the turn of a different talented teenager.

Lennon Miller and Ben Doak have come through the various Scotland youth levels together, so Lee has had a front row seat to the winger's excellence.

While the excitement has long been there from the Tartan Army, the evidence has now been delivered on the international stage from 19-year-old Doak.

A shining star among a string of superb Scotland performances, the Liverpool player, on loan at Middlesbrough, made this representing your country malarkey look easy.

Lee, though, has long known it's been a matter of when, not if, Doak would don the dark blue for the first team.

"I've watched him for a good few years now and he is the best I've seen at dribbling and running with the ball," the former Scotland striker said on the BBC's Scottish football podcast.

"He's exciting, he's got a complete no fear mindset of who he plays against. You get the same Ben Doak each time, he just wants to attack and go.

"That kind of breeds confidence throughout the full team, too. I think if you've got a player that can carry the ball like that, you want to give them it constantly.

"Then other players just up their game a wee bit more. I think there was a real control and quality in Scotland last night."

Listen and subscribe to the Scottish Football Podcast on BBC Sounds so you never miss an episode

Jane Lewis
BBC Scotland in Poland

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And breathe.

After an enthralling, end-to-end 90 minutes with Poland, it looked as though Scotland would be ending their Nations League A campaign with a draw, resulting in relegation.

Their performance in Warsaw - and for large parts of this campaign, in truth - didn't warrant that, though.

So up stepped Andy Robertson. The Liverpool left-back's thunderous header sent the Tartan Army wild and threw Scotland a lifeline with a play-off to look forward to next year.

On his 80th cap, the captain was of the consensus his side "deserved" the 2-1 victory, and said his first Scotland goal in five years was "a long time coming".

"To do it so late on and it means something, now we get the play-off in March, it's very important and I think it was what the performance deserved," Robertson added.

"I don't think anyone can argue that. I thought we dominated, I thought we played well.

"We got done by an unbelievable goal from their perspective, but I think our performance deserved the win and I'm just happy to step up at the last minute to make sure that the lads got what we deserved."

Robertson's previous Scotland goal came in Steve Clarke's first game in charge, a 2-1 win over Cyprus in June 2019.

The end of that barren run was timely and dramatic, with Scotland having been pegged back by Kamil Piatkowski's wonder strike after John McGinn's first-half opener.

"I think under this manager, we've done really well at keeping going," 30-year-old Robertson, who moved level on appearances with Darren Fletcher, added.

"We can go through all the games that we've done it in and late in games when people get tired and things like that, it's fine margins and we're really good at keeping going.

"We've got quality that comes off the bench, people that can bring quality and we showed that and we were the ones pushing for the win.

"We knew we had to win but we knew our chance would come and it was just whether we could take it or not."

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• Andy Robertson is the first player to score a 90th-minute winner for Scotland since Scott McTominay against Israel in a World Cup qualifier in October 2021.

• Scotland have won back-to-back internationals for the first time since March-September 2023, while Poland have won just one of their last nine games in all competitions (D2 L6).

• John McGinn has now scored 20 goals for Scotland - only four players have managed more for the men’s national side (Denis Law 30, Kenny Dalglish 30, Hughie Gallacher 23, Lawrie Reilly 23).

• McGinn's opener (2:53) was the first time Scotland have scored in the opening three minutes of a game since Kenny Miller in Austria in August 2005. It was their earliest goal in a competitive fixture since Billy Dodds' first-minute strike against Belgium in a World Cup qualifier in March 2001.

• Robertson made his 80th international appearance, making him the joint third most capped player for Scotland - level with Darren Fletcher and behind only Dalglish (102) and Jim Leighton (91).

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Scotland's Nations League win over Poland was "a bit bittersweet" and left the squad with "mixed emotions", says midfielder John McGinn.

The Scots led early thanks to McGinn's opener and, with Portugal winning in Croatia, were one more goal away from cliniching a quarter-final place and top seeding for World Cup qualification.

However, Poland and Croatia both found levellers and, although Andy Robertson came up with a late winner for Scotland, they had to settle for third place.

"It was a bit of a roller coaster," McGinn told BBC Scotland. "At half time, we knew it was 1-0 to Portugal. We thought 'right we’re in pot one'.

"So it's a really nice feeling to [potentially] stay in League A, but we wanted more."

Scotland fans, we want to know what you made of the performance out in Warsaw. Are you pleased with the victory? What did you make of Steve Clarke's starting XI? How do you feel about the relegation play-off?

Give us your thoughts here, external.

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Scotland manager Steve Clarke: "We always felt one more chance would come maybe not from the source it actually came from but it was a fantastic cross from John Souttar, who was outstanding defensively, and a great header from the captain. A nice way to finish the game

"The more you play at this level the better you get. We started with three defeats, three narrow defeats, with good performances.

"The players didn’t lose belief, I didn’t lose belief in the players and they end up taking seven points from the last three games which gets us into the play-off.

"The more you play at this level the more you learn how to win the games and we’ve proved that."

Charlotte Cohen
BBC Sport Scotland

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Although it’s not the outcome the more ambitious Scotland fans would have hoped for before kick-off, it’s a better ending that looked likely as the 90 minutes elapsed.

Things started strongly when John McGinn’s goal marked the first time the Scots have scored inside three minutes of a game since Kenny Miller did in Austria in 2005.

The Scots held firm against waves of a threatening Polish attack and were denied by the woodwork twice in the first half.

Billy Gilmour crashed a shot off the crossbar before Scott McTominay hit a post just before the break and, with Portugal winning, it would have been a happy changing room at the interval.

However, things took a turn. Kamil Piatkowski's bullet hit the back of the net and the Scots were staring down yet another disappointment. Step up captain Andy Robertson.

Questions would have been asked of Steve Clarke's decision-making had they not sealed the victory but his side proved they can mix it with the big boys.

The one worry is that ominous, potential, pot three position for the World Cup draw, but this side are proving they can pull off big results when needed.

Before then, the Nations League play-off in March will be the next test to see just what this side is all about.

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Billy Gilmour was impressive all night for Scotland. Not only was he integral in John McGinn's opening goal, he was also unlucky not to get a second for Scotland when his long-range effort smacked the underside of the crossbar.

Jane Lewis
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter in Warsaw

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Around 3,000 Scotland fans have made the trip to the Polish capital, although finding them this afternoon has been easier said than done.

While walking round the old town, I saw the odd kilted fellow, but not as many as you usually see when out and about on match day.

I fancy the brisk Warsaw air might have something to do with that. It's very, very cold. And hiding away in the local bars and restaurants is probably a better bet.

However, we did bump into several supporters, and all were in pretty confident mood.

They come here after Friday's 1-0 win over Croatia so are fairly optimistic about tonight.

Many believe Scotland are more than capable of winning, although are unsure as to whether Croatia will lose to Portugal... Following Scotland, eh? It isn't easy...

Head coach Steve Clarke maintains a cautious stance on Scotland winger Ben Doak before the Nations League match against Poland.