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Scotland Manager steve clark He praised the character and depth in his squad following their late Euro 2024 qualifying return in Oslo.
Clark’s men were stunned Norway With an unexpected change in the form of goals of Lyndon Dykes and substitute kenny mclean The Group A leaders won 2–1 after the last four minutes of normal time.
McLean was one of three changes made by Clarke in the 79th minute and this proved to be the case after Erling Haaland’s 61st-minute penalty fell behind as Scotland struggled to pose a threat and the striker went down when Ryan Porteous scored. Grabbed your shirt.
With Spain not playing, Scotland extended their lead at the top of Group A, eight points ahead of third-seeded Norway.
Clarke said: “I was pleased with the performance, we were disciplined and passed it well at times.
Obviously you have to take a lot of pressure against a good Norway team. And we never stop believing. We’re going to the end and getting our prize.
“It says a lot about the character, the spirit, the quality off the bench. One thing I keep talking about with this group of players is the quality we’ve got, they want to do well for their country.
“And when I turn to the bench and I know I need to make changes to freshen it up, I am putting top quality players on the pitch.
“It was about getting the timing right. After missing the goal, I felt it was better to just stay in the fight for a while to make sure the game doesn’t run away from us.
“After that we had to chase the game, it was quite logical – you’re going to take off a defender and push John McGuin forward a bit more.
“We brought Kenny into the game, Billy Gilmour into the game, Stuart Armstrong into the game, new legs to try and get forwards and they were among the best things towards the end of the game.
“Even Dominic (Haim) comes on towards the end and sticks his head in on a couple. Congratulations Dominic, first cap, not a bad place to do it, not a bad score.”
Scotland’s win puts them in a strong position with a perfect record ahead of their trip to Georgia on Tuesday, which will mark the halfway point in the campaign.
Clarke said: “If we want to qualify for the big tournaments, you know you have to go away from home against good teams and pick up points. It’s three points that’s big but we’ve got to go again.”
“They are all recovering there in an ice bath and we have to make sure we get the three points on Tuesday to capitalise. It sets us up nicely for Tuesday, I am not looking forward to that.
Porteous is suspended for Tuesday after picking up a yellow card, but Kieran Tierney could feature despite hobbling not long after the opener.
Asked how the Arsenal defender was doing, Clarke said: “Tired. just tired. He didn’t come with us for the training camp. Not issued by his club.
“He joined us earlier this week feeling a little tightness in his quad, so we protected him all week.
“Getting a good time off the guy was fantastic and shows that everyone is ready to put their bodies on the line. and then we’re bringing liam cooper Who is a high quality keeper.”
Norway manager Basie Solbakken – whose team finished bottom of the group – lamented the turning point of the game when his keeper’s interception fell for Dykes to slot home.
“For Leo Ostigrad it was an accident. I think it was cramping in both legs at the same time,” he said. “It’s like that, we can’t blame him for that. If that were to happen, I would have to take the blame for not taking his place.
“We are in a very difficult position.”