FLYING SQUAD
McLeish salutes Scots as Naismith secures vital opening win
ALEX McLEISH last night hailed the improvement in his Scotland side after they bounced back from their Belgium mauling to confidently dispatch Albania in their Nations League opener.
While the visitors hardly lit up Hampden with their play, the victory bodes well for the Scots as they look to take advantage of the new tournament and the potential passage it offers to the 2020 European Championships.
Steven Naismith, surprisingly starting up front ahead of Leigh Griffiths, did the damage. The Hearts striker missed a sitter in the first half but played a major role in the opener at the start of the second as his header was turned into the net by
Albania defender Berat Djimsiti. Naismith then finally got on the scoresheet with another header in the 68th minute as Scottish pressure finally told. McLeish (right) had labelled the game a ‘must-win’ and, afterwards, he praised his side for putting the error-strewn 4-0 humbling against the Belgians on Friday night quickly behind them. ‘We started really well and had attack after attack,’ said the Scotland boss. ‘It’s just one of those days I thought nobody would get on the end of something. ‘We knew we had really tough games in South America — and we took on the Belgians — and learned a lot. ‘I told the players I trusted them to improve on the errors of the Belgium game and they were excellent. ‘This was always the focus. It’s about building a team here. Not papering over cracks. ‘We were under pressure. Everyone said we must win and we did win.’ McLeish’s starting XI raised some eyebrows, with the likes of Griffiths and Stuart Armstrong dropping to the bench, but he said he felt ‘vindicated’ by the result. ‘It was a very good performance,’ he continued. ‘A great tempo and we had good defensive discipline. ‘We hit them with a whirLwind but didn’t get that early goal. ‘We were very positive. We have had some recent fixtures against worldclass teams and we learned a lot. ‘There is great stamina in the team. They are all ripped and they showed their fighting spirit in abundance tonight. People were talking about my win ratio. I was not bothered about that. Let’s remember who the opposition were. ‘I know there was a bit of apathy among the fans, but we are the only ones who can change that.’ Scotland forward Johnny Russell, another brought into the starting line-up, added: ‘It’s always a huge honour to play for your country. I wasn’t really expecting it. It’s important to get off to a win.’ Albania coach Christian Panucci said: ‘Scotland definitely had more chances than we did during the game but the manner in which we lost goals is hard to describe. ‘But I don’t want to take anything away from the great performance from Scotland.’