NO GLOOM TO BREATHE
Lights go out on kids as our qualification hopes look bleak
SCOTLAND U21 ..... 1 LATVIA U21 ............ 1
THE lights aren’t completely out on Scotland’s bid to reach Euro 2019.
But after a shock 1-1 draw with 10-man Latvia the outlook looks a little bleaker for Scot Gemmill’s Under-21 side.
Last night’s Group Four clash at McDiarmid Park was held up for eight minutes in the first half due to floodlight failure.
And despite sub Ryan Hardie being Scotland’s bright spark in the second half with a late leveller from the penalty spot, it’s still two points dropped.
The likes of Lewis Morgan and Oli McBurnie shone as Scotland piled on the pressure following Roberts Uldrikis’s headed opener.
But the result puts a dent in Scotland’s hopes of reaching the play-offs as Holland thrashed Andorra 8-0.
Gemmill refused to be downbeat though and said: “We were delighted to get the goal at the end and the second-half display merited it. “The boys showed character and a willingness not to be beaten. We had to find a way to score against a team making it very difficult. “We must have had over 20 shots and there were some good individual performances. “At the same time it was disappointing to concede. “If you’re going to beat these teams you have to keep clean sheets – so losing the goal was always going to make it tough. “The challenge was to beat a team everyone expected us to beat and we haven’t done it. “But there aren’t many teams from our full squad down to Under-16s who will create that many chances.
“We take confidence from that and hopefully people who saw the game will go home knowing there’s a lot to be positive about.”
Gemmill openly admits games against so-called minnows are his worst nightmare as coach.
And he’d warned against complacency as Scotland looked to see off the Latvians and continue their Euro 2019 charge.
He made two changes to the side who beat them 2-0 in Liepaja last month.
Skipper and talisman Oliver Burke – who has just recovered from injury at West Brom – was missing so Aberdeen winger Scott Wright was called in.
And in midfield Kilmarnock kid Dom Thomas dropped out with Barnsley’s Stevie Mallan getting the nod.
To avoid a nightmare scenario Gemmill would have dreamt of a quick strike to settle nerves. But
despite being on top the goal didn’t come with it being clear patience would be required.
In the case of Morgan, McBurnie and Mallan it wasn’t for the want of trying.
The trio impressed, particularly St Mirren ace Morgan who was terrific on the left flank and fired a warning shot at Kristaps Zommers that the Latvia keeper had to smother at his near post.
Morgan was torturing full-back Viktors Litvinskis while McBurnie looked a real threat as Scotland’s lone striker.
The Swansea forward was on the end of a brilliant Mallan flick but his goalbound shot was deflected into Zommers’s arms.
Just as the Scots were building up a head of steam one of the McDiarmid Park pylons went out and play was stopped by Danish referee Jorgen Burchardt.
After the delay McBurnie finally got a clean strike at goal following good individual play but Zommers got down to deny him as the visitors held firm.
Gemmill’s boys were rarely being tested at the back but they needed more cutting edge in the attacking third. And they paid for their lack of conviction when Latvia took a shock lead in first-half added time.
With keeper Ryan Fulton beaten, Raivas Jurkovskis’s header crashed off the bar and Uldrikis hung in the air to nod home the rebound.
Fulton was slow to get up after the initial effort and centre-backs John Souttar and Scott McKenna will be annoyed they failed to stop two headers on goal.
It was a crushing blow to the Scots who had dominated without creating enough gilt-edged chances.
Gemmill needed a response after the break and Wright fizzed a shot over the bar from 20 yards before Zommers came to Latvia’s rescue with a cracking stop from McBurnie’s deft flick in the box.
Having already switched to a 4-4-2 Gemmill threw on Hardie to partner McBurnie up front as the Scots pushed for an equaliser.
The pair almost combined immediately to score but the Rangers striker’s drive was kept out by that man Zommers again.
Latvia were losing their discipline under pressure and ended up losing a man with 25 minutes left.
Ingars Stuglis’s wild challenge on Chris Cadden was a straight red all day long and Scotland had to take advantage. Hardie was posing a threat and saw another effort beat Zommers only to curl just wide.
Gemmill’s side were camped in the Latvian half and peppering their goal with shots before their persistence paid off with a penalty three minutes into injury time.
The ref ruled Kristaps Liepa had tugged McKenna and Hardie buried the spot-kick to salvage a point ahead of facing Ukraine on the same surface in three days’ time.