Getting booed after a loss is bad enough
After Scotland’s humiliating defeat to Kazakhstan on Friday, Alex McLeish’s side had some work to do if they were to get the fans back onside.
Frustrated at the shock defeat and three players deciding to withdraw from the squad, including captain Andy Robertson, fans wanted to see real signs of the team bouncing back. They wanted goals, commitment and some restoration of pride. And they got them all, kind of.
In Sunday’s qualifier against San Marino, Scotland managed to score twice to secure their first win of the campaign. But when you play against San Marino, anything less than 5-0 might as well be a loss in the fans’ eyes. The contrast in quality is – or should be – so high that 6-0 should be par.
When Kenny McLean put the Scots in front after four minutes, you can understand why fans might have thought a thrashing of that nature was coming. But they were left disappointed, as Scotland could only find the net once more through Jonny Russell, with 15 minutes left in the game.
Three points secured, a whole lot of faith lost. The players were booed as they left the field by the disgruntled Scotland fans who had travelled a long way in the hope of seeing more than two goals.
The boos from 🏴 fans and some of the chants said it all as ScotlandNT toiled to a 2-0 win over the worst team in world football.
FULL REPORT: https://t.co/0tftokPzmn pic.twitter.com/ld4U1Q4fGX
— Matched Betting Lad (@Matchedbetlad) March 24, 2019
In fairness, the scoreline does not accurately reflect the balance of the game. Scotland created 21 chances from their 77% possession, compared to San Marino’s three shots from 33% possession. However, possession without penetration is futile and any international team worth their salt will be scoring more than two against minnows such as San Marino.
