LEIGH GRIFFITHS was handed the ball for Scotland’s first penalty. A daunting task for a man that hasn’t played an international fixture for over two years but he showed great mental strength and composure to open the scoring in the shoot out. Even more so perhaps because it was his first touch of the game as a substitute in extra time. There was a degree of luck that his penalty found the net but it cannot be understated how much bottle it took for him to step up and score.
His Celtic teammates CALLUM MCGREGOR & RYAN CHRISTIE were, however, the main standouts from a Scotland point of view. There were top performances around the park from every starting XI player and those that scored their penalties; although it was Christie and McGregor that were inspiring a nation over in Belgrade.
McGregor, so used to bombing forward, was a composed and compact defensive midfielder alongside Ryan Jack. McGregor carried the ball, blocked off Serbian attacking moves and finding passes up to Lyndon Dykes. It was a performance that was befitting of his Celtic captain Scott Brown. The midfielder was a leader on the park, fighting for every ball and running for 120 minutes as well as slotting a penalty in.
Ryan Christie was aggressive but he was measured in deciding what and when to chase the Serbian defence. He timed some runs in behind the former Livi striker and had his reward, opening the scoring. The attacking midfielder has been playing off of Dykes in the crucial Euro 2020 play-off and found the net after a brilliantly executed shot.
Christie received the ball, turned and fired a shot against the post giving Steve Clarke’s side a vital lead in Belgrade. The Celtic Star was impressive in the first half but could propel himself to cult status with the goal as well as a humble interview at full time.
The players did Celtic proud and hopefully they can return to domestic duties without any injuries.
