Ewan Murray was at Stadion Maksimir, and his report is below. Thanks for reading this MBM, with its last word going to James Humphries: “To be fair, it looked offside to me on the replay too. Watching the game with my daughter though, and as soon as the replay came up I slumped back going ‘ah well, that’s us then’ while she was defiantly insisting it was definitely gonna stand. Innocence and experience, eh?”
Adams was clearly off, to be fair, if the VAR slide flashed up is anything to go by. But nevertheless, in summary: sigh. Scotland are still looking for their first point in Group A1, after a third game in which they’ve matched superior opponents for the most part, only to be eventually overwhelmed and delivered a sickening late blow. Pure tincture of Scotland, right there, times three. But at least we don’t have to suffer an hour-long post-mortem about it. Thank you, YouTube!
Portugal P2 W2 D0 L0 F4 A2 Pts 6
Croatia P3 W2 D0 L1 F4 A3 Pts 6
Poland P2 W1 D0 L1 F3 A3 Pts 3
Scotland P3 W0 D0 L3 F3 A5 Pts 0
Updated
FULL TIME: Croatia 2-1 Scotland
That’s the final act as the whistle goes. Yet another last-gasp sickener for Scotland.
NO GOAL. Croatia 2-1 Scotland
90 min +7: Adams was just off. The goal’s ruled out.
90 min +6: … but VAR is going to take a look. Was Adams offside when McLean backheeled?
GOAL! Croatia 2-2 Scotland (Jakić og 90+5)
The clock ticks past the extra four minutes … but the whistle doesn’t go, and Scotland have one last go. The ball’s shuttled into the Croatian box. Some pinball. McLean backheels down the inside-left channel. Adams lunges to shoot. Jakić extends a leg and gets there first, only to divert the ball, which bobbles across Livaković and into the bottom right!
Updated
90 min +3: Baturina goes charging down the right, only to be cynically taken out by a frustrated Gilmour. Into the book he goes.
90 min +2: McTominay charges down the right but once again the cross is lacking. A frustrating night in the final third for Scotland.
90 min +1: The first of four additional minutes sees Perišić make way for Kristijan Jakić.
90 min: Scotland are pushing forward, but the final ball is lacking. But then Gauld, his back to goal 25 yards out, plays a sensational reverse pass down the left channel. Adams meets the bouncing ball but his loop over the keeper drifts wide right of goal. So close to a sensational equaliser! Scotland have had their chances. Their half-chances, at least.
88 min: Gauld teases in a dangerous cross from the left, having been sent into space by that man Gilmour. Ćaleta-Car extends a leg to hook clear just in time. Scotland come again, though, McTominay bustling down the inside-left channel before scooping a diagonal shot wide and high. Then the flag pops up for offside.
86 min: Gilmour continues to battle, intercept and probe. He’s been magnificent between both boxes tonight. Scotland’s star man.
84 min: Gilmour drops deep and tries to release Gauld down the inside-left channel. It’s a decent idea, well executed, but there are two defenders making a pincer movement on Gauld, who has no chance of bursting clear.
82 min: The pace has dropped, which suits Croatia just fine, because the clock continues to count down at the same lick.
80 min: It’s a new Sučić on the pitch now. Petar advances down the right and sends what could have been a cross but might also have been a shot wide left.
79 min: … although having said all that, Christie was probably offside. At least that’s what the replay looks like to the naked eye. Had that ended up in the Croatian net, the VAR would have had to get their ruler out.
78 min: Scotland should be level. Christie is sent racing clear down the inside-right channel by McTominay’s clever pass. He’s one on one with the keeper, and has Adams and Gauld in the middle, waiting to tap home … but gets caught between two ideas, eventually scuffing a shot-cum-cross harmlessly wide left, his team-mates given no chance to reach the ball. What a waste!
77 min: Scotland make their first changes, replacing Dykes and Doak with Ché Adams and Ryan Gauld.
Updated
76 min: As the corner floats over the box, Gvardiol skittles McLean and the pressure is released.
75 min: Scotland suddenly look so ragged. Baturina dances his way down the right and wins a corner. Modrić to take.
74 min: … so anyway, that half-time mention of Laurel & Hardy has led Scott Blair to send in a clipping from Aberdeen’s Press & Journal.
72 min: That’s Kramarić’s last act of the evening, so what a way to bow out. He’s replaced by Bruno Petković, while Matanović makes way for Ante Budimir.
GOAL! Croatia 2-1 Scotland (Kramarić 70)
Yep, this had been coming. A deep cross into the Scotland box from the right. Sosa meets it with a screaming volley. Gordon manages to make a save, but the ball balloons up to Kramarić, who heads home from a couple of yards.
Updated
68 min: Croatia are pushing Scotland back now. The visitors holding their shape for now.
66 min: Baturina … well … batters a long-distance shot over the bar. Scotland are suddenly beginning to ship half-chances with unwanted regularity.
65 min: Modrić sashays his way down the inside-left channel, nutmegging McTominay along the way, before skelping a rising drive across Gordon and inches wide of the right-hand post. What a goal that would have been!
Updated
64 min: Doak goes rampaging into space down the right, and feeds McTominay on the overlap. McTominay makes it into the box, but his attempted cross is dismal. Doak reclaims possession, but he gets overly cute as well, and Croatia clear their lines. In the middle, Dykes can be forgiven for breaking into a full, no-nonsense fume.
62 min: Croatia make another chance, replacing Luka Sučić with the 21-year-old midfielder Martin Baturina, reportedly their great new hope.
61 min: Robertson crosses from the left. Dykes cushions a header down for McTominay, but for once Scotland’s goal machine can’t sort his feet out and get a shot away. Croatia clear their lines. Both teams look in the mood to search out a winner.
60 min: Matanović is thankfully fine to continue.
59 min: Perišić crosses from the right. Gordon comes off his line to punch clear, and accidentally knees the lurking Matanović in the back. The crowd continue to whistle with annoyance, but it was all purely accidental. On comes the physio.
58 min: Robertson’s corner is half cleared. Ralston sends it back towards Robertson on the right. Robertson flicks a cross with the outside of his boot. Souttar flaps a weak header wide left. Scotland reasonably close to delivering the ultimate sucker punch after Croatia’s disallowed goal!
57 min: Scotland go up the other end through Doak, who wins a corner down the right. Robertson to take.
56 min: … Sučić whistles an unstoppable drive into the bottom right from 25 yards! But when the ball was being worked out to him, the flag had popped up for offside. Croatia not happy, but this is the way it is.
55 min: Modrić has been quiet. So now he digs out an improvised snapshot that heads towards the top left. Gordon makes another fine save. The ball drops near Kramarić and is whacked out for a corner. From which …
54 min: Ralston has his critics for his defensive ability all right, but he can cause a problem or two going forward. He combines well with Doak down the right but can’t find McTominay with his cutback.
53 min: Matanović latches onto a loose pass, 35 yards out, and nearly takes full advantage by larruping a low drive towards the bottom right. Gordon extends fully to palm the ball away from the corner. It was heading in.
51 min: Gilmour is winning a lot of loose ball in the middle of the park. Dykes is putting himself around as well. Šutalo comes off second best in a duel with the big striker, who is awarded a free kick as well. Croatia and their fans a little bit frustrated right now.
Updated
49 min: Robertson teases a cross in from the left but the ball evades Dykes. The striker claims a corner kick, but Scotland aren’t getting one.
47 min: All a bit shapeless in the opening exchanges of the second half. “Scotland are unrecognisable from the team that played in the Euros, and I don’t mean because they play in a hue of blue so almost that it’s white,” writes Kári Tulinius. “This is especially impressive, considering the long list of absentees.”
Updated
… and we’re back! Sound on! Vision on! Croatia get the second half underway. Petar Sučić has replaced Mario Pašalić.
Half-time postbag. “If you’d have told me 20 years ago that I’d be sat in front of an iPad watching Scotland play Croatia in the Uefa Nations League on YouTube, while also following a live minute-by-minute commentary via the Guardian website, I’d probably have choked on my fag and can of McEwans Export. Now I only drink craft beer and cocktails, and vape, but I still nearly choked when Scotland took the lead” – Simon McMahon
Tell you what, Viaplay, the SFA, Uefa, STV, BBC Scotland, Uncle Tom Cobley and all have taken some flak for this game being YouTube only, but I’m coming round to it quicksmart. The feed clicked on ten minutes before kick-off, there was no bloviating for an hour beforehand, we’re currently enjoying some peaceful silence at half-time, and I’m pretty sure the switch will be flicked off the minute the final whistle goes. I’m all for this. Broadcasters please take note! If you really need to fill the gaps on your channel before and after, show a couple of cartoons or some Laurel & Hardy.
Half-time entertainment. A play in three emails, by James Humphries.
32 min: “Scotland looking pretty decent with the ball here, young Doak in particular. Defensive howler in the post for definite then; my bet is just before half-time.”
34 min: “I mean, I thought it would be a Scottish defensive howler, but I’ll take it.”
37 min: “I don’t know why I say these things. Ah, never mind. There’s that old familiar feeling.”
HALF TIME: Croatia 1-1 Scotland
Nothing happens in it. Croatia haven’t played badly; Scotland have played well.
45 min: There will be one additional minute.
44 min: A cute flick from Gilmour sends Scotland on the attack. Doak’s cross from the right evades Dykes. Scotland continue to go forward without fear.
43 min: The tempo drops a bit, both teams perhaps dreaming of their half-time cuppa.
41 min: Robertson, having just forced a corner, has to concede one at the other end under pressure from Perišić. Susa takes it short, Croatia over-elaborate, and eventually the flag goes up for offside.
40 min: Robertson hoicks a diagonal free kick towards the far stick, forcing Pašalić to turn the ball behind for a corner with McTominay lurking. Sadly nothing comes of the resulting set piece, but this is a decent response from Scotland to the disappointment of giving up their lead so quickly.
39 min: McLean makes good down the inside-left channel and is cynically hauled back by Perišić, who goes into the book. A free kick just outside the box, on its left-hand edge.
38 min: Doak continues to make a nuisance of himself down the right. He looks a proper player. Good news for Middlesbrough and Liverpool, but especially Scotland, who really need someone who can provide that extra sparkle.
GOAL! Croatia 1-1 Scotland (Matanović 36)
Well that didn’t last long. Matanović scores his first goal for his country. A long ball down the right. Perišić cuts it back first time, and the in-rushing Matanović whips a low drive into the bottom left from the edge of the box.
Updated
35 min: Uefa have decided that’s an own goal by Ćaleta-Car. Nah. Had the defender not attempted his clearance, Christie’s shot was going in anyway.
GOAL! Croatia 0-1 Scotland (Christie 33)
McTominay feeds Doak down the right. Doak dribbles purposefully infield and dinks a cross into the middle. Sučić, his back to goal, slices a dreadful clearance backwards. The ball drops to Christie, on the left-hand corner of the six-yard box. Christie swivels and shoots. Ćaleta-Car, on his own line, can only help the ball into his own net. Scotland lead! And it’s not undeserved!
Updated
31 min: Kramarić cuts in from the left but his rising shot is parried confidently by Gordon. Perišić then crosses from the other flank, Sosa heading wide left. Better from Croatia, who have suddenly moved up a gear.
30 min: McLean nearly releases Doak down the middle, but the winger can’t combine with Dykes and the hosts clear their lines. The Tartan Army cry foul, but the referee isn’t interested.
28 min: Scotland look comfortable enough right now. Croatia perhaps mindful of Robert Snodgrass’s winner 11 years ago?
26 min: Sučić crosses deep from the right. At the far stick, Sosa prepares to head goalwards from six yards, but Ralston gets in the way. A brave header that doesn’t even come at the cost of a corner, because Sosa is penalised for getting too heavy.
24 min: Christie whips a cross in from the left. Dykes is this close to meeting it with his head, six yards out. Gvardiol eased the striker away from the ball there, a gentle lean from behind.
23 min: Kramarić has another try from the edge of the D. This time he gets a shot away, but Souttar blocks bravely. Scotland still boast the only shot on target, the aforementioned Gilmour lash.
Updated
22 min: Modrić jinks his way down the right and gets the better of Robertson, but his dinked cross is headed away firmly by Hanley. Kramarić tries to make space to shoot, buy Dykes gets back to take the ball off his toe. Staunch defence.
21 min: Gilmour has a dig from 25 yards. His shot moves around in the air, but unfortunately for Scotland, in the general direction of Livaković, who claims easily.
20 min: Some admin: the freshly booked Mario Pašalić will henceforth be known simply as Pašalić, unless his namesake Marco comes off the bench, in which case everything changes.
18 min: Doak brings the ball out of defence with confidence, and is scythed down by Mario Pašalić, who hangs out a leg and sends the young man high into the air. The Croatian goes into the book.
17 min: Scotland are beginning to settle in this game. They put a few passes together. They go nowhere in particular, but that’s not really the point, and the away fans continue to give it laldie.
15 min: The Croatian keeper Livaković shanks a simple clearance high into the air, and is extremely fortunate neither Dykes nor McTominay are able to bring it down on the edge of the box and shoot. A shame for Scotland that the shank didn’t drop more kindly.
14 min: Robertson goes on another power run down the left but there’s nobody free in the middle. He’s forced to put the brakes on. A couple of promising breaks by the Scotland captain already.
13 min: It’s been a fairly lively start, and so the match settles down a little. “In a surprising development, this match is actually being shown on Fox’s main sports channel here in the States. If I had to give a one word description for Scotland’s kit, I’d go with ‘white’. Beyond that, I’d say the trim and numbers are periwinkle?” Joe Pearson there, publicly pitching for a job in the Adidas marketing department.
Updated
11 min: Doak steals a ball in midfield and goes tearing off down the right. He cuts back looking for Christie, but Modrić has read the danger and gets back to intercept.
10 min: Robertson has a dig from the best part of 35 yards. Full marks for ambition, and he nearly gets a bonus point by taking out the right-hand corner flag.
9 min: Modrić shapes to shoot, but Sučić has a go instead, blootering a witless effort straight into the wall. It clips off a blue shirt and out for a goal kick. Modrić will take the next one, you can bet large on that.
8 min: Matanović advances down the inside-right channel. He’s crudely brought to ground by Hanley, who is booked for his trouble. A free kick just to the right of the D. Modrić’s eyes light up.
7 min: This is better from Scotland. Robertson tears down the left touchline. His low cross is only hacked half-clear by Gvardiol, and the ball’s returned instantly by Christie, whose drive whistles inches wide of the left-hand post.
6 min: Scotland can’t keep hold of the ball at all. Dykes tries to get hold of it but only manages to skittle Ćaleta-Car.
4 min: Sosa crosses from the left. The ball breaks to Kramarić on the edge of the Scotland D. He doesn’t catch his shot well. The ball pings off Robertson and away from danger. A strong start by the hosts, though.
3 min: Pašalić is seeing a lot of the ball early doors. He feeds Perišić three times in a row, in short order, though the Croatian winger can’t fashion a decent cross. Gordon claims the third.
2 min: Croatia stroke it around to establish whose home this is.
Scotland kick off. There’s not much of an atmosphere in the Stadion Maksimir, with one of the main stands out of commission. But the away fans are doing their best.
The teams are out! Croatia are playing in their second-choice dark blue kit today … still with a check pattern, naturally … while Scotland wear their [squints, tilts documents towards light, moves glasses down nose, double-takes] Almost Blue (i.e. not blue) change strip. We’ll be off in a couple of minutes!
Steve Clarke speaks to BBC Radio Scotland. “It’s been a long time since we’ve had a win, so it’d be nice to get one here … obviously a difficult match but one we look forward to … if we didn’t think we could compete we would have stayed at home … we compete for a win or at least a point on the board … the injuries are there for everyone to see … there is no point harping on about it … I don’t think we’ve gone backwards.”
Croatia aren’t on the best of runs. That aforementioned win over Poland was their first in five matches, before which draws at home with Italy and Albania were sandwiched by defeats to Spain and Portugal.
However that’s all wine and roses compared to the miserable run Scotland are on. Steve Clarke’s side have won just one of their last 14 matches, and that an extremely unconvincing 2-0 win in Gibraltar. Nine of the other 13 games have been lost, several comprehensively so: 1-3 v England, 1-4 v France, 0-4 v Netherlands, 1-5 v Germany. The 0-1 loss to Northern Ireland wasn’t much better, though to be fair a 0-2 defeat in Spain might have turned out rather differently had Scott McTominay not had an opening goal chalked off for bugger all.
Also, the Scots remain the last team to beat the new European champions in a competitive fixture, so yes sir, on a good day they can indeed boogie. Weird that before the team embarked on this sorry run, they’d won eight of their previous ten. That’s the Scottish national team distilled into the purest tincture.
Croatia make three changes to the side that won 1-0 against Poland last time round. Mario Pašalić, Ivan Perišić and Andrej Kramarić – the latter two World Cup finalists – replace Marko Pjaca and Bruno Petković, who drop to the bench, and Mateo Kovačić, absent with baby on the way. Luka Modrić, the third member of that famous 2018 side starting today, will win his 181st cap.
Here’s the story of Scotland’s Nations League campaign so far. It’s been A1 in name, if nothing else. Injury-time misery …
… was soon compounded by more late woe …
… and so the Group A1 table currently looks like this. Poland will host Portugal later this evening.
Portugal P2 W2 D0 L0 F4 A2 Pts 6
Croatia P2 W1 D0 L1 F2 A2 Pts 3
Poland P2 W1 D0 L1 F3 A3 Pts 3
Scotland P2 W0 D0 L2 F3 A5 Pts 0
Scotland make three changes to the team that started the 2-1 defeat in Portugal. Craig Gordon replaces Angus Gunn in goal, John Souttar steps in for Scott McKenna at the back, and the creative void left by the absence of John McGinn is filled by Ben Doak, making his first full start for his country. Ché Adams, who has scored three goals in Serie A for Torino this season, has to make do with a place on the bench; Steve Clarke sticks with Lyndon Dykes, who has yet to score his first goal for Birmingham City in League One.
The teams
Croatia: Livaković, Šutalo, Ćaleta-Car, Gvardiol, Perišić, Modrić, Mario Pašalić, Sosa, L Sučić, Matanović, Kramarić.
Subs: Labrović, Ivušić, Jakić, Erlić, Moro, Marco Pašalić, Budimir, P Sučić, Baturina, Petković, Oršić, Pjaca.
Scotland: Gordon, Ralston, Hanley, Souttar, Robertson, Gilmour, McLean, Christie, McTominay, Doak, Dykes.
Subs: McCracken, McCrorie, Adams, MacKenzie, Irving, Porteous, Lindsay, Morgan, Nisbet, Gauld, Devlin.
Referee: István Kovács (Romania).
This is #Croatia starting lineup for today's clash with Scotland in Zagreb! 🥁 #CROSCO #NationsLeague #PokažiSrce #Family #Vatreni❤️🔥 pic.twitter.com/Tri3n6CEXp
— HNS (@HNS_CFF) October 12, 2024
🔢 Tonight’s team in Zagreb.
— Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) October 12, 2024
📺 Watch live here: https://t.co/OMSJibFvBI#CROSCO pic.twitter.com/DUbEq4vN1B
Updated
Preamble
Scotland are without James Forrest, Angus Gunn, Kieran Tierney, John McGinn, Scott McKenna, Jack Henry, Tommy Conway, Aaron Hickey, Nathan Patterson and Lewis Ferguson for their visit to Zagreb: no wonder STV and BBC Scotland have decided to give this fixture the bodyswerve. Time was, the BBC would clear the decks for the Old Firm and Edinburgh derbies and still find room for the Young Pigeon National pigeon racing. Just six-and-half hours from Cheltenham to Ecclefechan, and that despite the birds being released into a headwind!
But now it’s Alan Carr’s Picture Slam this, Viaplay International YouTube channel that, and here we are. Thank the lord for the Guardian MBM, eh readers? What? Oh. OK, but we are doing this nevertheless. Kick-off is at 5pm BST. It’s not on … but it’s on!
