On a sunny afternoon in Faro the Tartan Army had some difficulty getting through Gibraltar’s defence. The friendly at the Estadio Algarve ended in a deserved, but narrow 0-2 win for Scotland.
The first half saw Scotland dominate in terms of possession and attempts at goal. However, Gibraltar managed to maintain a clean sheet by half time. The debutant Gibraltar goalkeeper Jaylan Hankins had to make less than a handful of saves.
In the second half the pressure continued to built in front of the Gibraltar goal. It was in the 58th minute that the Scottish fans could jump off their seats for the first time. Ryan Christie smashed the ball in the back of the net after the ball dropped in his feet in the opposition box, taking the score to 0-1.
Steve Clark’s side deserved more after the first goal, maintaining possession and goal threat throughout. The net bounced one more time in the 85th minute via substitute Che Adams. The Southampton striker volleyed the ball decisively past the Gibraltar goalie. A few minutes later the referee blew the final whistle at a scoreline of 0-2.
The win is a moral boost for the Tartan Army, but manager Steve Clark may scratch his head at the amount of missed chances from his side. Out of 25 shots at goal Scotland managed to get 5 on target against the number 203 on the FIFA ranking.
Scotland saw their attacking options reduced last week, after Lyndon Dykes left the training ground with a leg injury on Friday. The centre-forward has been ruled out of the Euro 2024 squad. The European football tournament is set to start on 14 June with an opening game against home side Germany.
On 7 June Scotland faces a final friendly before Euro 2024. The match against Finland – the current number 61 on the FIFA ranking – will kick off at Hampden Park at 7:45 PM. Scotland will go into the game as the current global number 39 on the FIFA ranking.
