FREEDOM FIGHTERS
McGregor: We let ourselves go in second half
CALLUM McGREGOR feels Scotland found their World Cup freedom to move towards Qatar.
But the midfield star is adamant it remains baby steps for the group as they battle to reach the Middle East and return to the game’s biggest stage.
McGregor and his colleagues head for the Faroe Islands today full of zest and confidence after a thrilling weekend win over Israel.
Steve Clarke’s team had to scrap until the end to win their Group F showdown with Scott McTominay’s unforgettable winner coming in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
Scotland had their backs against the wall trailing 2-1 at the half-time interval having been unable to impose themselves on to the Israelis enough.
However, in a superb second-half showing of relentless intent, drive and composure, Clarke’s boys grabbed the initiative.
McGregor was central within it all. Alongside the brilliant Billy Gilmour and talismanic John McGinn, the engine room trio took control.
The Celtic captain says his team shook off their shackles and explained: “We were a bit more free in the second half, we tried to keep the tempo of the play up and a tempo they struggled with.
“When we put a sequence of passes together they struggled and that was key.
“We were poor in the first half, we gave them two goals. We got back into the game then gave one back straight away and that gave them oxygen.
“But, in the second half, we took the game to them and we totally deserved the victory.”
McGregor, meanwhile, insists the glorious Hampden ending from McTominay was down to a week of hard graft and plotting.
The Manchester United star’s bundled effort came after Jack Hendry had flicked on a McGinn corner-kick delivery and the playmaker revealed it was all part of the plan.
Clarke has added Austin MacPhee to his backroom staff to assist with the scoring from set-pieces.
Despite losing a couple themselves from dead balls before the interval, it all came right for Scotland in the end and McGregor is adamant it was no fluke.
He said: “It was brilliant. We had been working all week on trying to get first contact and then second contact at corners, because goals are often scored from the second contact.
“Everyone stuck to their movements, so it worked. You need great delivery, which it was.
“The whole stadium deserved it in the end. The fans were unbelievable, they stuck with the team.
“It’s a massive one, everyone knew how important the Israel game was.
“But it’s baby steps, we need to calm everyone down and keep our feet firmly on the ground. We have a tough game away on Tuesday now.”
Clarke’s team had to be resilient when the chips were down against the Israelis with a shuddering beginning brought about by Erin Zahavi’s stunning early free-kick.
McGregor said: “That’s football sometimes, you can do all the preparation in the world but then someone puts the ball in the top corner from a free-kick after five minutes and you’re up against it.
“But we responded well and so did the crowd. They stuck with us and the second half was a big performance.
“We knew we had to produce one.”