Scotland 0-1 Northern Ireland

Debrief from Hampden after defeat for Scotland.

Transcript

00:00 Good evening from Hampden Park where it has finished. Scotland 0, Northern Ireland 1.

00:08 A very disappointing night for Steve Clarke, his players and the national team as Scotland

00:14 go seven games now without a win and not in the best of shape going into the European

00:20 Championships this summer in Germany. Steve Clarke who said he was sulking after the 4-0

00:25 defeat by the Netherlands on Friday said only a win would do here against Northern Irish

00:30 who are ranked several places beneath Scotland in the world list. But to be perfectly honest

00:36 it was Scotland that looked like the team that were second best here on a very cold

00:41 and pretty flat Hampden for the large part. The Scots found it really difficult to break

00:45 down a well organised, well drilled and tenacious Northern Irish team who carried a massive

00:51 threat on the break. They were up for it and they turned the game into a real battle. Scotland

00:56 failed to really raise themselves until the second half but that time the damage was done.

01:00 The goal came in the first half, a horrible moment for right back Nathan Paterson who

01:07 gave the ball away carelessly to young Connor Bradley in the penalty box. Liverpool loanees

01:14 showed great composure to shift the ball onto his right foot and fire a shot high past Angus

01:19 Gunn with the aid of a deflection. Scotland had so much of the ball for large parts of

01:24 the game but just could not break down the rigid and disciplined Northern Irish defence.

01:29 The game got a little bit stretched towards the end and Northern Ireland were clearing

01:32 on. Laurence Shankland had two good chances, one well blocked and one header that just

01:37 went over the crossbar but you felt Scotland could have played for a long time tonight

01:41 and not got a goal that would have got them a draw. Not many plus points, Ciaran Tierney

01:46 played pretty well at left back and Lewis Ferguson came on as a sub and showed some

01:53 energy but it was a bad night for Scotland compounded by an injury to Andy Robertson.

01:58 The captain came off with what looked like a left ankle injury following a tackle by

02:03 Tree Hume in the first half. Liverpool fans and Scotland fans will be worried about his

02:09 fitness and condition ahead of the run into the season and of course the preparation to

02:14 the Euros. It means that Scotland go into the next set of fixtures in June against Gibraltar

02:21 away then Finland back here in real need of some positivity. A team that qualified for

02:27 the European Championships in fairly straightforward fashion has started to drift alarmingly off

02:33 piste and Clarke will be desperate when the players reconvene after the club season ends

02:39 to get Scotland back on track after what was a very disappointing and slightly concerning

02:45 evening here at the National Stadium. Where it finished, Scotland 0, Northern Ireland

02:49 1.

02:50 [BLANK_AUDIO]