Scotland just handed North Macedonia a beatdown in the Nations League, giving head coach Sebastien Pocognoli his first win, and honestly, the scoreline doesn’t even come close to telling the full story. For nearly the entire match in Skopje, North Macedonia was basically a no-show, looking like they were still in bed while Scotland was running a track meet.
Scotland Straight Up Dominated, But Couldn’t Finish
Let me put this in perspective: Scotland fired off an insane 25 shots compared to North Macedonia’s measly 9. Want to talk about accuracy? Scotland had 10 shots on target. North Macedonia? A big fat ZERO. Before Scott McKenna even got sent off late in the game, Scotland had touched the ball 37 times in North Macedonia’s penalty area. Their opponents managed to touch it twice in Scotland’s. Seriously, it sounds like Scotland was playing against a team of statues, which is wild considering Skopje is literally full of them. Even a dog ran onto the pitch in the first half, and I’m telling you, it probably would’ve offered more bite than the home squad did for most of the game. It was that lopsided. This was Andy Robertson’s 100th cap for Scotland, a massive milestone, and honestly, it felt like one of his easiest nights out there. A total stroll.
A New Era’s Promise and Frustration
While the score might’ve only reflected two goals, it felt like a rout that easily could’ve been four, five, or even six on a pretty poor pitch in a soulless stadium. Pocognoli’s first win lifts a huge burden, and you can just tell the air feels lighter around him now that the ‘search for an elusive goal’ talk is over. The energy and urgency from Scotland were palpable, reducing North Macedonia to the ranks of the lifeless. Kieron Bowie settled everyone down early by rifling in a terrific goal, and it was a memorable night for Luis Binks, Stephen Welsh, and sub Robbie Ure, all getting to experience a win for their country. Binks and Welsh in particular looked right at home in that Scotland defense. Scotland was exciting, entertaining, and yeah, a bit frustrating too. They showed massive ambition, but the execution, especially that killer touch in front of goal, wasn’t quite there as often as you’d want. But hey, that’s something that can definitely come as this new era progresses.
Now, with that first win in the books, Pocognoli and the squad are looking ahead. They’ll be at Hampden on Tuesday, preparing to take on Slovenia. This team showed they’ve got the energy and the drive, now it’s about finding that clinical edge to turn total dominance into a more fitting scoreline.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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