Belgium qualifier a must win for Scotland boss Clarke

Steve Clarke says Scotland have put themselves into a position where they must now beat Belgium to stand a chance of automatic qualification for Euro 2020.

Stephen O’Connell’s own goal ultimately handed Russia a 2-1 victory at Hampden Park, though it was the manner of Friday’s defeat that frustrated Scotland boss Clarke.

John McGinn’s first international goal put Scotland ahead early on, only for the home side to surrender their lead when Artem Dzyuba drilled home, with Russia taking control in the second half.

Scotland have six points from their five Group I outings so far, half the amount of second-place Russia and nine shy of leaders Belgium, who visit Glasgow on Monday in a fixture Clarke has outlined as a must-win.

“After such a good start, getting ourselves in front, then we seemed to freeze,” Clarke told Sky Sports.

“It was as if we couldn’t believe we were in front, we took our foot off the gas, we gave Russia the momentum.

“I’m not sure why. It seems as though we panicked a little bit, started getting caught on the ball and nervous in possession, that nervousness goes through to the crowd.

“To come out on the losing side is extremely frustrating.”

Goalscorer John McGinn gives a frank assessment of tonight’s 2-1 loss to Russia at Hampden.#SCORUS pic.twitter.com/A1Dx9DRZ8w

— Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) September 6, 2019

“If you’re going to qualify you have to turn up in the big games. This is a night when we had to turn up. It drifted away from us.

“I’ve got to get the lads back in a positive frame of mind. We have to look at the Belgium game as almost a must-win. That’s the scenario we’ve put ourselves in.”

Scotland captain Andrew Robertson echoed Clarke’s sentiment, with the Liverpool defender telling Sky Sports: “It was as if the goal scared us, and I’ve never seen anything like it before.

“If we get the lead it should be a positive, not a negative. [Annoyed with] everything, my own performance, what I’ve done out there, what the rest of the lads have done.

“I don’t think anyone got pass marks, [David] Marshall maybe, for a couple of good saves, he couldn’t really do anything about the goals.

“To have 10 players from the start who haven’t shown up, not putting in the performances that we can do, that’s why we’ve ended up with this result.

“I don’t think Russia were at their best either. Unfortunately we were worse.”