Scotland beat North Macedonia 2-0 in Skopje on Saturday night, giving Sebastien Pocognoli his first win as head coach at the third time of asking and marking captain Andy Robertson’s 100th international appearance.
Kieron Bowie scored his first international goal, hammering the ball into the bottom corner in the 7th minute, and John McGinn sealed the win from the penalty spot in the 69th minute after an earlier decision was overturned. The win came despite Scotland ending the match with 10 men following Scott McKenna’s straight red card in the 83rd minute.
Robertson missed two good chances before Bowie’s opener, and Scotland dominated play throughout, with Bowie, Robertson and Ben Gannon-Doak all coming close before the break. The visitors were awarded a penalty when Gannon-Doak went down in the box after half-time, but the referee called for the monitor and overturned the decision.
VAR then awarded Scotland a penalty soon after, when Rangers striker Bojan Miovski was judged to have stopped Bowie’s rebound with his arm after McKenna hit the post. McGinn sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to double the lead, his 27th goal for his country.
The red card came late in the game, a repeat of Jack Hendry’s sending off against Switzerland in midweek. McKenna was shown a straight red for a last-man challenge on Agon Elezi.
Robertson’s 100 Caps
Robertson became just the second player to reach 100 caps for Scotland. He spoke to BBC Scotland after the match, saying the milestone meant everything to him and his family.
“It means everything to me, it means everything to my family,” Robertson said. “I’ve been away now 100 times, I’ve got to feel sorry for my wife! It’s been an unbelievable journey, I remember my first game and it’s been a process since then.”
He reflected on the occasion, noting the rarity of the feat in Scottish football. “It’s emotional for me. I love this country, there’s only one person before me in the men’s game to do that, it’s a pretty special achievement.”
Robertson joked about his early involvement in the game. “I thought Kenny Dalglish was going to be worried about his goalscoring record in the first five minutes! I had about six shots.” He also praised the presentation he received during the match. “They did a nice presentation for me, I told them I wanted the win. The lads did so well to get the win, it’ll be a special one for me and my family.”
On the sending off, Robertson apologised for his pass to McKenna. “I apologise for the pass to Scott McKenna, I’ll have to go in and apologise to him.”
Pocognoli’s First Win
Pocognoli drew a blank in his first two Nations League games as head coach, but this result will silence some critics. The Frenchman secured his first Scotland win at the third time of asking.
The head coach insisted there was no extra pressure after the opening defeats, but he and the players delivered a strong performance in Skopje. The second red card inside a week did not spoil the evening, even though it left Scotland with 10 men for the final minutes.
The performance was controlled and dominant, though the level of opposition must be noted given North Macedonia’s place at the bottom of the group. Pocognoli’s new call-ups, Stephen Welsh and Luis Binks, also impressed.
“Not much to say” was Sebastien Pocognoli’s verdict after their midweek defeat to Switzerland but the new boss will be far more encouraged by what he saw in Skopje.
The Key Moments
The game was interrupted briefly by a dog running onto the pitch, which was quickly caught and removed. Play resumed without further incident.
Bowie’s goal came from outside the box in the 7th minute, with Robertson firing wide of the far post in the 10th minute and Bowie chasing down a ball that was eventually blocked in the 30th minute. Robertson’s efforts went just over the bar in the 13th minute, and Bowie’s cross to Ben Gannon-Doak was over in the 28th minute.
The referee was called to the monitor in the 54th minute after reviewing the earlier penalty decision, which was overturned. Gannon-Doak’s effort was held by Stole Dimitrievski in the 34th minute, and Dimitrievski did well to hold onto Gannon-Doak’s effort from the edge of the box.
McGinn set up Gannon-Doak, but he hit it straight at the goalkeeper in the 50th minute. The 51st minute saw a penalty for Scotland, which was overturned in the 54th minute. The 64th minute brought the VAR penalty, and the 69th minute saw McGinn’s decisive conversion.
The 83rd minute brought the red card, with McKenna sent off for a last-man challenge on Agon Elezi.
What Comes Next
The win gives Scotland a result after a difficult start to the campaign. Pocognoli will hope the form continues when Scotland face Solvenia at Hampden Park on Tuesday night.
The second red card inside a week will be a concern for the team, but the chances created will bring confidence. Now, they just need to finish a few more of them.
Scotland’s run of results has swung from frustration to relief in quick succession. The 2-0 win against North Macedonia, secured by a player making his first international goal and a captain reaching a century of caps, was the kind of result the team needed after a difficult start to the campaign.
Source material: “Third time lucky for Pocognoli as Scotland mark Robertson's 100th cap with win,” Sky Sports.
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