STEVE CLARKE admits that a poor first-half performance proved costly in Scotland’s bid to reach the Qatar World Cup in winter as the national team suffered a 3-1 defeat to Ukraine at Hampden.
Trailing 1-0 at the break, Clarke brought on Ryan Christie for Lyndon Dykes to give his side a greater presence in midfield but the team were then hit with a sucker punch as the Ukrainians scored a second within minutes of the restart.
A deflected Callum McGregor strike gave the Tartan Army hope of a comeback before an injury-time strike from Ukraine sealed their progression to the World Cup play-off final against Wales.
“In the first half I don’t think we played enough but they pressed us well,” Clarke told Sky Sports. “They forced us to go a little bit longer, which suited them more than us.
“I made the change at half-time but we didn’t give ourselves the chance to utilise that change because we went 2-0 down very early on.
“The change was made to get the ball on the ground and play through the lines again. We didn’t do that well enough in the first half.
“After that we showed character and we had a go. We left ourselves open at the back, which we had to risk.
“John [McGinn] missed a big chance that would have given us at least half an hour to try and chase the 2-1.
“We got the goal eventually and we chased it well. we tried as hard as we could and they defended with their lives.
“It is Ukraine’s night, not Scotland’s.
“It got a little bit frantic. We didn’t quite have the composure to get it down and create a clear-cut chance but we did have some chances. We didn’t take them on the night.
“The third goal for Ukraine is the consequence of us chasing the game but it puts a better reflection on the scoreline for them.”
