Ryan Porteous admits he is buzzing over his first Scotland cap - but joked he may come in for stick for celebrating his last-gasp tackle in the draw with Ukraine.
Steve Clarke's men headed for Poland knowing they only needed to avoid defeat to win the section after defeating the same opposition and the Republic of Ireland at Hampden in the first two games of the triple-header ahead of this group decider.
In typical Scottish fashion it was never going to be easy with a sickness bug making its way through the camp while the national team had to contend with a number of injuries. That path allowed Hibs star Porteous to come in for his debut and what a night it was for the young stopper, who didn't look out of place on the big stage.
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Porteous admits his first cap for Scotland is a 'dream come true' as he labelled it one of the biggest games in his career to date.
Speaking about his last-gasp tackle and his debut overall, he said: “I was actually celebrating [Ryan] Christie’s block after that as well. I was maybe a wee bit nervous in case I’d caught him. It was a good tackle and a good block and that for me was just as good as a goal.
“I might get a bit of stick for celebrating a tackle right enough.. But for the team and for the boys and the country it’s massive.’ It’s an adrenaline rush. It’s good. We have worked hard to limit their chances, their main ones were when they were offside. We kept a brave line and limited them.
“Any chances they did have we have managed to get a block or a save or put them off. For me that’s just as good as going up the park and scoring, especially when you only need a point.
“I’m buzzing. I’ve waited a long time for this opportunity, mainly because the boys have been fantastic. So I am delighted to get my chance and delighted to help the team. I am obviously delighted, because as a boy growing up that’s all you want to do is play for Scotland.
“When you get that first one it’s brilliant, but my mind quickly changed to needing to put in a good performance. It comes away from being a personal achievement to a team mindset right away. Obviously I have played in two cup finals.
“They are all massive games but this is one of the biggest games in my career. Your first Scotland start is dream come true stuff. I really enjoyed it, but it’s more about what the boys have achieved to get to this stage. I am lucky enough to come into a situation where I came in for the last game needing just a point.”
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