Another international window has come and gone. For Scotland, this camp was all about building towards the future but Steve Clarke’s side emerged from their Nations League double-header against Poland and Portugal without a victory in their last EIGHT competitive fixtures.
That is the Scots longest such winless run in their history and means the Tartan Army have now been starved of a victory in a competitive game for over 12 months - a 3-0 away win over Cyprus in a Euro 2024 qualifier.
Two late defeats and more individual errors cost Scotland their first points of Group A1, with a certain Cristiano Ronaldo popping up with Portugal’s match-winner on 88 minutes in Lisbon after Scott McTominay’s first-half headed opener was cancelled out by Bruno Fernandes’ scuffed effort from distance.
The Poland match was there for the taking after Clarke’s men battled back from a two-goal deficit to level up the tie and were firmly in the ascendancy towards the end of the second half only for a moment of madness from Grant Hanley to gift the visitors an agonising 97th minute winner at Hampden.
Here, GlasgowWorld has carried out a review of all 16 players utilised by Clarke across both matches and assessed their performances out of ten. Those selected who played no part in both games included; Zander Clark (Hearts), Jon McCracken (Dundee), Max Johnston (Sturm Graz), Josh Doig (Sassuolo), Ryan Porteous (Watford), Connor Barron (Rangers) and John Souttar (Rangers).
9. Scott McTominay - Napoli
Sensational yet again and underlined his status as Scotland's most important player during this camp. Every time he touched the ball vs Poland he looked a real threat. Unfortunate to see a goal disallowed for handball but was in the right place to convert Scotland's equaliser. Headed home the opener vs Portugal for his 10th goals in his last 17 caps. A proper workhorse. Overall 9.5/10 | SNS Group
10. Ryan Christie - AFC Bournemouth
Worked his socks off in both games. Full of energy for 60 minutes against Poland before fading. Gave the Scots an outball against Portugal and carried out his defensive work extremely well. Still lacks a final product but this was two productive outings. Overall 7/10 | SNS Group
11. Lyndon Dykes - Birmingham City
Missed a glorious chance at the back post towards the end of the first-half vs Poland when he could only find the side-netting. Held the ball up well and made life uncomfortable for Portugal's backline. Plenty of endeavour but never looked like scoring in Lisbon. Overall 6/10 | SNS Group
12. Ryan Gauld - Vancouver Whitecaps
Finally back in the international fold after a 10-year absence. 20 minutes against Poland but made little impact. On for the remaining 16 minutes vs Portugal but wasn't able to make a notable contribution. A talented player who supporters will want to see much more of next month. Overall 3/10 | SNS Group