Scotland denied seventh consecutive win

Scotland were denied a served seventh consecutive win after a controversial 94th-minute penalty earned Poland a friendly draw at Hampden.

But Krzysztof Piatek crashed home late on from the spot after a slight nudge in the box to deny Scotland.

“The penalty puts a little downer on it,” said head coach Steve Clarke.

“We didn’t look like conceding, we had good control of the game, and we had a lot of good work tonight. It is a penalty decision for a friendly game. It was soft.

“There’s a lot to be pleased about. We’d have loved to have gone seven wins in a row, but it keeps the unbeaten run going.”

Scotland will attempt to stretch that run to eight matches when they play a friendly in Austria on Tuesday.

And if they can beat Ukraine when their delayed semi-final is played, they will face Wales in Cardiff with a place at the 2022 World Cup at stake after they beat the Austrians 2-1.

On a night of consequence across Europe, it would have been easy to lose Scotland amid the gravity of it all.

When this date was first marked on calendars months ago, the heart of every Scotland fan would have fluttered with the excitement of a kid on Christmas Eve. Ukraine were the opposition, a shot at a World Cup play-off final the prize for both.

Since, the world has changed due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with that semi-final postponed and a friendly with Poland shuffled in instead, leaving eight other countries left to it for now.

Pre-match, the Hampden lights were dimmed and 15 beams in the center of the pitch pulsed blue and yellow, with £10 from each ticket sold going to Unicef’s appeal in Ukraine. But when the action started, it was the Scots who illuminated Hampden.

This is a team who under Clarke are coming of age, and it was the imperious showing of two young men at the heart of it.

Patterson has played 45 minutes of football at Everton this year, but he was inspired in the darker blue of his country. A threatening burst 10 minutes in unlocked the Polish defense and the crowd’s excitement only for a tame shot to follow.

Later in the half he would have a shot thwarted which would then trigger a scramble in the box, with the defender going close again amid a ruck of bodies and shots flying.

In the middle of the park, Billy Gilmour pulled the strings and showed his class, so much so his recent lack of game time at Norwich City seems a mystery.

Against a robust and experienced Polish side, the Chelsea loanee was composed in possession and clinical with his passing. He, too, had a shot in that earlier melee, while a quite remarkable acrobatic goal-line clearance after the break brought Hampden to his feet.

Despite talisman Robert Lewandowski starting on the bench, Poland started brightly. Bartosz Salamon ballooned a header over from six yards.

At the other end, Scotland’s energy was palpable. Che Adams drove a low shot at Lukasz Skorupski, who gathered at the second attempt, while Ryan Christie headed over just before the break from a great Patterson cross.

Piatek dragged a shot wide early in the second half, but it was Scotland who would kick on.

John McGinn, who was captain for the night, darted through on goal after a perfect Gilmour pass. His heavy touch from him took him past the goalkeeper, who looked to catch the Aston Villa man, but he opted to stay on his feet with the ball running out.

The game continued to rage in both directions with Gilmour’s block canceling out a rare mistake from Scott McTominay in the middle of the park. But within four minutes, the Scots thundered themselves into a deserved lead.

McGinn’s perfect delivery from a free-kick on the right whipped beyond a sluggish Polish back line. Arsenal’s Tierney loitered and arced his body low to crash in an unstoppable header.

That looked like being the winner until the dying seconds. Piatek burst past Craig Gordon in injury time and, after the faintest of touches from Grant Hanley, collapsed to the turf.

Irish referee Robert Hennessy pointed to the spot, and Piatek thudded his shot straight down the middle to earn a draw.

Man of the Match – Nathan Patterson

What did we learn?

That none of the momentum built up by Scotland in 2021 has been lost over the last few months. Six games in a row were won coming into this one, and Clarke’s team looked determined to make that seven.

In the first of what may well be two dress rehearsals for a tie that nobody knows if or when it will happen, there was a tenacity about Scotland. The midfield had a bite, their press at times was intense.

Most importantly, though, there was a cohesion and comfort. Against the Czech Republic and Croatia at Euro 2020, the Scots appeared overwhelmed at times. But here, against a team 12 places better off in the Fifa rankings, there was no panic in defence, not a hint of hesitation or lack of thought on the front foot.

Clarke will hope the trip to Austria on Tuesday will see that continuity continue.

match stats

• Piatek’s penalty halted Scotland’s six-game winning run, which was their longest since 2007.
• Poland remain unbeaten in Scotland, earning two wins and three draws in five visits. It’s the most Scotland have hosted any one nation without ever winning.
• Scotland are winless in six friendly matches at home (D2 L4) since beating Denmark at Hampden in March 2016. It’s their longest winless run in home friendlies since 1997-2002 (7 games).
• Tierney scored his first Scotland goal in what was his 31st appearance. The goal was assisted by McGinn, who has now registered as many assists in his last three Scotland games as he had in his previous 40 (2).
• Gilmour earned his 11th Scotland cap – only Darren Fletcher (13), Willie Henderson (12) and Paul McStay (12) have made more appearances before their 21st birthday.

What’s next?

Scotland will now go to Vienna on Tuesday (19:45 BST) to face Austria in a friendly following the latter’s World Cup play-off semi-final defeat by Wales. Poland, meanwhile, will host Sweden at the same time, with a place in Qatar the prize.