7 hours ago
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Liverpool defender Andy Robertson had a clear message for Scotland's critics after their crucial 3-1 victory over Greece on Thursday: 'crack on' if they 'wanted to complain'.
The home side managed to turn the game around and secure all three points, bolstering their position in Group C and keeping them in contention for the top spot.
This result was particularly significant for Steve Clarke's squad, who suffered a crushing 3-0 defeat at the hands of the Greeks at Hampden Park back in March, resulting in their demotion from the Nations League. Now, with their sights set on the World Cup and being level on points with group leaders Denmark, whom they face at home next month, Robertson and his teammates are not letting up.
However, not everyone was thrilled with the win over Greece, who controlled the majority of the first hour and deservedly took the lead through Liverpool's on-loan left-back Kostas Tsimikas. The mood inside Hampden Park was on the verge of turning sour, especially considering Scotland's losses in their previous two home matches.
The Tartan Army expressed their dissatisfaction with the team's performance. However, Scotland managed to bounce back quickly, with Ryan Christie equalising just two minutes after Greece's goal, followed by Lewis Ferguson and Lyndon Dykles securing an unexpected victory.
Robertson, the 32 year old Liverpool star and Scotland captain, candidly admitted that his team needs to improve. He stated: "If you want to complain about the performance, be my guest, crack on," but remained firm in his defence of the team's efforts.
"We're delighted with the three points. We hope that the Tartan Army were happy going home. Obviously there were frustrations in the stands at times, but everyone's dancing at the end of the game and a game's 90 minutes, not 60."
"It was a massive result and I think you could feel that in the stands and you could also feel it on the pitch. But it's only a massive result if we then kick on from here.
"So we're in control of that and we need to do that. Like I said, the fans were clearly frustrated the first 60 minutes, which I can understand and I can get, but sometimes it doesn't help."
Scotland's manager, Clarke, echoed Robertson's sentiments, stating: "Football is a 90-minute game and you have to make sure you come out of it with a positive result. Maybe 3-1 flatters us, but we did enough to win the game. Results are the only thing that qualify you for a major tournament."
Scotland will host Belarus this Sunday, while Denmark will welcome Greece. A victory or even a draw for Scotland could see them topping their group by the end of the October window.
"We're going to need them again Sunday," Robertson declared, referring to the fans. "Sunday's a completely different test and we're going to need everyone in full voice because we've got three games now to try and qualify for a World Cup and we need everyone pulling in the same direction.
"If they can give us noise in the stands and cheer us on and support us then it's only going to help us. But we also know that we need to react on the pitch to that and we need to be better than we were for 60 minutes. But I think the fans are always happy when they go home with three points."
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