Scotland had contributed far too much to the Nations League to finish bottom of Group A1. That was the harsh reality until Andy Robertson leapt like a Loch Tay salmon to meet John Souttar’s superb stoppage-time cross, securing a famous win over Poland with a bullet header which rendered Lukasz Skorupski helpless. Steve Clarke’s team live on, courtesy of a playoff berth. The scale of jubilation which greeted Robertson’s winner told any onlooker how much that means.
“We want to go to another tournament,” Clarke said afterwards. “The playoff in March to stay at the highest level of the Nations League will set us up for a tough World Cup qualifying campaign. We are ready for it.” When John McGinn sent Scotland ahead, thoughts were of another outcome. Had the result gone their way between Croatia and Portugal, it was conceivable Clarke’s men could finish second. Ultimately that other tie was immaterial but this one was not. Scotland and their support celebrated in epic style courtesy of Robertson’s late intervention, which instead sends Poland into the second tier. Their coach, Michal Probierz, may pay for that with his job.
Scotland had no points after three group games and closed with seven. Clarke was public enemy No 1 after the trauma of the Euros in the summer. What transpired in Warsaw served as the latest triumph for Scotland’s management. It was poetic for Robertson, on the site of his Scotland debut and, this time, his 80th cap.
“There’s been a lot of good moments over my five-and-a-half years and this is just another step on the journey,” Clarke said.
The Scotland manager had indulged in pre-match kidology by suggesting Ben Doak might not start this tie. Leaving the 19-year-old among Scotland’s substitutes would have ranked among the most bizarre managerial decisions of all, such was Doak’s impact during last Friday’s win over Croatia. Doak was always going to play, primarily because of the panic his pace triggers among opposition defenders. Doak has gained exalted standing among the Tartan Army.
It was quickness of thought that allowed Doak to create Scotland’s dream start. Billy Gilmour found the teenager with a fine pass. Doak looked up, spotted McGinn and cut the ball inside. The Aston Villa midfielder stroked home his 20th international goal from 18 yards. For context, that haul is one ahead of Ally McCoist. It is within 10 of Denis Law and Kenny Dalglish.
Scotland played with swagger during those early exchanges. If Poland were rocked, it was totally understandable given their 5-1 Friday loss to Portugal. The hosts briefly found their feet, Karol Swiderski slamming wide after a Robertson error. Swiderski was then unable to beat an advancing Craig Gordon. Doak shot tamely at Skorupski as Scotland pursued leeway. Gilmour almost supplied it, with an outrageous long-range effort that rebounded off the crossbar. Scotland rightly sensed Polish defensive weakness.
Doak fed Scott McTominay, who flicked the ball over Sebastian Walukiewicz but met his match in Skorupski. During a wildly entertaining pre-interval spell, McTominay cracked a post and Robertson had a shot bound for the top corner deflected wide. Poland were not without threat, Gordon once again belying his 41 years by frustrating Adam Buksa. That only one goal had been scored by the time the half-time whistle blew felt like an incredible anomaly.
Souttar, a standout in Scotland’s Nations League campaign, prevented a Poland equaliser within two minutes of the restart, blocking on the line as Jakub Kaminski seemed certain to score. With just 51 minutes played, the teams had shared 20 attempts at goal. Number 21 saw Doak play in McTominay, whose first-time shot flew high and wide. The flow of the game meant Scotland’s single-goal advantage was unlikely to be sufficient.
Kamil Piatkowski proved that very point in emphatic fashion. After Scotland only half-cleared a cross, Piotr Zielinski spotted the marauding defender. Piatkowski did not break stride, lashing the ball beyond Gordon from the edge of the penalty area. Poland were worthy of parity but Clarke’s men were now in position to rue earlier wasted opportunities.
It took a wonderful Skorupski save to prevent Lyndon Dykes from nodding the visitors back in front from a Gilmour cross. Dykes’s continued prominence supplies tacit admission of the job Clarke is doing with Scotland, given this is a striker who has not scored a single League One goal for Birmingham this season. McTominay limped off 14 minutes from time. Exhaustion was commonplace. A Croatia equaliser in Split effectively closed the door on Scotland finishing second. Third was alive though: oh, how it was alive.
