The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Forrest on fire as Scots beat Israel
SCOTLAND 3 ISRAEL 2: Stunning hat-trick has Hampden rocking
James Forrest, number 7, netted a hattrick as Scotland defeated Israel 3-2 last night to secure a play-off spot for the European Championships in 2020 after winning their Nations League group.
Scotland got the Nations League win they needed to bank a place in the play-offs for Euro 2020.
James Forrest was the Hampden Park hero with a stunning hat-trick to make it five goals in two games.
After the Scots went behind early, Forrest seemed to have secured a comfortable victory against Israel but there was a typically fraught last 15 minutes after the visitors pulled a goal back.
And in the end, Scotland had Allan McGregor to thank for making a magnificent 88th minute save – a contribution that proved to be just as significant as Forrest’s three goals.
The pressure that was building on Alex McLeish before the Albania and Israel double-header has now been relieved and when the regular European Championship qualifiers begin in March, the Scots will start their campaign knowing that they will get two shots at making it to the finals.
It might not have been a full house but Hampden was a place of Tartan Army celebration again.
Scotland got the win they needed to ensure progression to the playoff stage of the Nations League. Courier Sports Editor Eric Nicolson analyses the Hampden Park drama and its implications.
NO FAST START THIS TIME
One of the most impressive aspects of Saturday’s win in Albania was the intent Scotland showed from the first whistle. Within the opening 10 minutes you got the feeling it was a game Scotland had under their control.
That fast start was nowhere to be seen at Hampden – at least, not from the hosts. Passes were sloppy, pressing was halfhearted and they were a goal behind and chasing the game from the ninth minute.
It wasn’t until midway through the first half that a Stuart Armstrong surge through the middle and a Callum McGregor shot that followed it made you believe a comeback was on.
They certainly got the spades working to dig themselves out of the hole thereafter but the need to do so will be a mild irritation.
JAMES FORREST AND THE CELTIC CONNECTION
Parkhead trio James Forrest, Ryan Christie and Callum McGregor were key men at the weekend and they came good on home turf again.
McGregor was probably the quietest of the three but the quick tempo he sets in the middle of the pitch shouldn’t be downplayed. For Christie, it has been a dream start to his Scotland career. There were several key moments in the stunning Scottish counter-attack second goal, with Christie’s strong running and composure among them.
Of the seven goals scored in the last two games, he has had a hand in most of them. As for Forrest, he has been the star man of the Nations League. Israel were a better team than Albania but were no more able to contain the livewire winger.
Winger is actually not an accurate description for Forrest these days because it is when he drifts inside that he is at his most dangerous.
For all his goals last night he was in the middle of the box, making his finishes straightforward as a result of the quality of his first touch. Five goals in two matches – a Scotland hero has arrived. Let’ s just gloss over the fact that he wasn’t being picked for the first two fixtures, shall we.
DOUBLE-HEADERS
Double-headers have proved to be extremely troublesome for Scotland teams in recent times. Going into last night’ s game only once in 11 years had both matches of a competitive double-header been won.
And even then, under Gordon Strachan just over a year ago, one was a virtual walkover against Malta.
Given that European Championship and World Cup qualifiers come in twos more often than ones, peaking twice in a short period of time has been a significant problem.
Perhaps Alex McLeish is the man to put that right. Before the Strachan success, he had been the last national coach to pull off the double – in 2007. He certainly couldn’t have picked a better time to rediscover the habit. Lowering the average age of the Scotland team has played its part. Nobody was running out of steam, as has so often been the case in the past.
DROP-OUTS
Not all of the players who have pulled out of Scotland squads of late deserve to have their injuries/excuses treated with scepticism.
But for those whose letter to the teacher looked suspicious, and still have ambitions to continue their international careers, it will be a worrying winter.
Absence comes with a risk. There is a lot of football to be played before March but the likes of Leigh Griffiths, Robert Snodgrass and Charlie Mulgrew are in a much weaker position than when the Nations League campaign began. Some Scotland careers may be over.
THE PRESSURE IS OFF
Indifference and confusion hung over the Nations League when this mini-group got under way.
Did these glorified friendlies really matter? Try telling McLeish they didn’t. There was no getting away from the fact that non-qualification would have resulted in serious pressure to get him out of his job. Now?
He still has a lot to prove but he has bought himself the time to do that. And, with a semi-final play-off at the end of the regular European Championship qualifiers now banked, the pressure has been lifted from McLeish and his team.
It’s been a long time since Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Wales would all swap places with Scotland.
But they would now. Strachan loyalists will say that there has been no real change from one regime to the next and that the Scots are beating the teams they are expected to, as they did under McLeish’s predecessor.
The key difference, though, is this is a young team with plenty of room to grow.