Anthony Ralston’s 10th consecutive Scotland start ended in a 2-1 victory as Steve Clarke’s side pulled off a memorable win in Poland last night…
The Celtic right-back
The Celtic right-back’s hard-fought display in Warsaw was merited with three points as Scotland’s late winner prevented automatic relegation from UEFA Nations League A.
Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn opened the scoring after just three minutes following some terrific build-up play. However, the hosts equaliser through a stunning strike from Kamil Piatkowski all but ended hopes of a Nations League quarter-final and a pot 1 seeding for World Cup qualification for the Scots. With Croatia levelling against Portugal at the same time it seemed so near, yet so far for the Tartan Army.
Stoppage time winner
A 93rd minute Andy Robertson header seemed symbolic on a significant night for Scotland’s skipper. It was Robertson’s 80th cap for his country as he subsequently broke into the top three most capped men’s players of all time for Scotland as they secured back-to-back victories for the first time since September 2023.
Ralston played 76 minutes
Meanwhile, Tony Ralston lasted 76 minutes before he was replaced for Aberdeen’s Nicky Devlin. Undoubtedly, Scotland have turned a corner since the disastrous European Championship campaign in Germany. Over the six Nations League matches, there were three narrow defeats with seven impressive points taken from Portugal and Croatia at Hampden, and then last night’s outcome against an underwhelming Polish outfit.
Scotland will now play a Nations League relegation play-off two-legged encounter against a Nations League B runner up in March. Mixing it with the elite is where Steve Clarke’s men want to be. For seeding reasons, the Nations League has proven once again how vital a competition it can be.
Pot 3 for December’s World Cup qualifying draw
For December’s World Cup qualifying draw, Scotland will be in pot three. On the face of it, it may seem like a tough ask of reaching North America’s lucrative competition in 2026, but it is not impossible. They look like a team reborn with the fresh dynamism of Ben Doak, added with Napoli duo Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour, Scotland are on the up.
Anthony Ralston will now return to Lennoxtown as the Hoops gear up to play Hearts under the lights on Saturday evening at Tynecastle. It is now four months until the next international break where Celtic’s brickie will most likely reach landmark cap number 20 for his country.
Conor Spence
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