Match Report: Scotland vs Spain – Football Match on March 28, 2023

Scotland Stuns Spain in Euro 2024 Qualifier with McTominay’s Brace

Scotland’s rising star, Scott McTominay, scored twice and propelled the national team to a surprising 2-0 victory over Spain in the Euro 2024 qualifier at Hampden Park on Tuesday. The win placed Scotland atop Group A with six points from two games.

The victory marked the end of a 37-year drought for Scotland against Spain and delivered a historic moment in the team’s history. Spain, on the other hand, suffered their first Euro 2024 qualifying defeat since 2014 when they lost to Slovakia.

McTominay, who also scored twice off the bench in Scotland’s 3-0 win over Cyprus on Saturday, is quickly gaining a reputation as a game changer for his team. He was instrumental in securing the win for Scotland against a much-changed Spanish team, ensuring that manager Steve Clarke’s confidence in his team is well-founded.

“We did really, really well,” said McTominay about the team’s performance. “We knew they’d have lots of the ball, and the manager said be clinical when we had the opportunities. When you’re winning, you’ve got to do stuff like that. The manager said this is our chance to create legacies as Scotland players, and these are the nights in 20, 30 years that people remember.”

New Spain coach Luis de la Fuente made eight changes from the side that beat Norway 3-0 in Malaga at the weekend and it showed as they battled to get any sustained momentum in the game as their hosts harried and pressed them into numerous errors.

Despite Spain’s efforts to turn the tide of the game, McTominay seized an opportunity to score after Pedro Porro slipped, allowing Andy Robertson to play the ball into McTominay’s path. Later on, Kieran Tierney delivered an excellent cross to McTominay, who capitalized on the moment and scored his second goal.

“It’s a painful defeat,” said De la Fuente about the loss. “At this high level, any mistake costs you. But you shouldn’t blame the players. It serves as an experience that any small incident tilts the balance of the match.”

Scotland’s victory was well-deserved, and manager Steve Clarke cautioned his team not to get carried away with their success. “It’s a big night, it feels like a step forward, but it’s only six points and you don’t qualify with six points. One bad game can set you back, so we stay focused and keep our feet on the ground,” said Clarke.

In Tuesday’s other Group A game, Norway drew 1-1 away to Georgia, who were playing their opener, with both teams on one point ahead of Cyprus, who have no points.