Sensational Scotland's Gallant Effort Rattles Spain, John McGinn Fumes at Controversial Disallowed 'Opener'

Scotland demonstrated their team's strength despite a disappointing loss in Spain, as Steve Clarke acknowledged. Meanwhile, John McGinn expressed frustration over Scott McTominay's disallowed opening goal. Clarke's team, which had previously won five consecutive matches, experienced a heartbreaking defeat in Seville, with Alvaro Morata and Oihan Sancet securing a 2-0 victory for the hosts after McTominay's free-kick was invalidated by VAR.

The Tartan Army could have secured their qualification for the next year's European Championships with a draw. However, they can still make it to the finals if Spain manages to collect at least a point in their upcoming qualifying game against Norway, who are currently placed third, in Oslo on Sunday. "Tonight, we demonstrated that we are a skilled team and that was our intention," stated Clarke.

Tonight marked the initial opportunity to secure qualification. While a positive outcome on Sunday evening could potentially aid our qualification, it is important to recognize that our qualifications are not solely dependent on that result. Our rigorous efforts, resulting in 15 points from six games, are what truly qualify us.

If circumstances align and a favorable outcome occurs during the weekend, we will secure qualification. In the event that this does not transpire and Norway emerges victorious, we still possess a highly attainable opportunity to conquer this section in the two upcoming games in November. This will be our primary focus.

We are satisfied with our performance, but the team is truly disappointed as our intention was not to lose the game.

The VAR decision going against us is something we must accept and move forward. At that point in the game, we were doing well. Spain's second goal seems to be an embellishment, as we had several good chances.

Scotland stated that it was too early to provide a diagnosis regarding the severity of captain and Liverpool defender Andy Robertson's shoulder injury. Robertson had to exit the game just before half-time and used his shirt as an improvised sling. The manager expressed frustration, saying, "It always seems to happen when you lose one player in a position. We lost Kieran [Tierney] and then Andy got a shoulder injury."

"We will observe its progress and development. Ideally, he will recover swiftly to benefit his club and be prepared to assist us in November."

Throughout the game, Clarke encouraged his team to stay composed amidst the turmoil surrounding McTominay's disallowed goal, which was ultimately reversed after a lengthy review by VAR.

Initially, TV footage indicated that a foul committed by Jack Hendry on Unai Simon was the cause of the ruling out. However, subsequent replays revealed that the offside offense was the reason for the penalty, as well as the interference with the Spain goalkeeper.

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Scott McTominay's goal was ruled out

Speaking to Viaplay, vice-captain McGinn expressed his frustration with the change made during the game. He emphasized that this change demonstrated the lack of clarity and obviousness in the decision-making process. McGinn further added that when Jack made the decision to step to the other side, it was evident that there was no chance of him saving it.

"He initially deems it as a foul, but upon realizing it is not, he modifies it to an offside call.

"It's a devastating blow that confirms our qualification with that goal. They now have to score twice. I sympathize with Scott [McTominay], but on occasions, fortune favors you, and tonight was not one of those occasions.

We shouldn't feel too let down. Our goal was to secure qualification tonight, and we had the ability to achieve it. Our intention is not to rely on other teams, but rather to accomplish it on our own.

Unfortunately, luck was not on our side during the crucial moments. However, there is no question that we can continue to make progress, and we displayed great effort.

We were aware that a single point would lead us to our goal, but it is particularly disheartening to lose Robbo so early.

Furthermore, as we believed we were in the lead, the situation turned against us and they managed to score the first goal – perhaps we could have defended that more effectively. Nonetheless, it is a difficult situation to accept.

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Spain went on to win the game 2-0 in Seville

"We competed for long spells, it's tough to win here but in the circumstances it was near-enough impossible.

From a Scottish perspective, whether on the field, in the stands, or in the dugout, it seemed unlikely that we would receive any favorable decisions. Engaging in fair challenges for loose balls and consistently being denied them made it incredibly challenging to achieve anything against a team of such high caliber.

"You need a perfect performance to win here, and it was never going to happen."

Analysis: Were Scotland unlucky not to score?

"It's a remarkable free kick, perfectly curled into the top corner; however, Hendry's position was slightly offside, and regrettably, he was obstructing the goalkeeper."

Spain's relief is palpable after escaping a major setback, while Scotland will undoubtedly gain a significant boost in their morale.

The interference must be acknowledged as a foul, as it disrupts Simon's positioning. The perpetrator deliberately crosses his path and initiates minimal contact. Consequently, the goalkeeper's judgment is affected, and the offender finds himself in an offside position when the incident occurs. Although there can be no justifiable grievances from the opposing side, the outcome is undeniably unfortunate.

"It has been an incredible effort, Spain dominated possession, had three or four clear-cut chances during the game.

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Scotland were left feeling hard done by in Spain

Scotland had a few opportunities and even had a goal disallowed in the second half. However, Spain is an exceptional European team, particularly when playing in their own territory, making it a challenging endeavor for any opponent.

Nevertheless, Scotland remains in a favorable position to clinch victory in the group. Unfortunately, a couple of moments of lost focus and an unfortunate slip by Hickey resulted in them conceding the second goal.

Despite facing a challenging evening, they displayed resilience and managed to hold their ground, successfully navigating through the first half. However, Spain's overwhelming control of the game ultimately made the difference.

The current position they find themselves in is something that anyone would have eagerly grasped. While it would have been fantastic to secure victory against Germany tonight, I firmly believe that Scotland will undoubtedly make it to the destination, whether it happens this weekend or in the coming month.

Steve has assembled an impressive team, instilled with a strong conviction to come here and excel defensively. Unfortunately, they were unlucky not to secure the lead tonight, which would have undoubtedly influenced the game's outcome. Nonetheless, there were numerous encouraging aspects, and it will be intriguing to observe the performances of Spain and Norway this weekend.

McKenna: Disallowed goal gave them lift

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McTominay had a free-kick ruled out at 0-0

Scotland defender Scott McKenna expressed his disappointment with the disallowed goal, stating that he believed there wasn't much justification for it. He emphasized that if the goal had stood, it would have greatly shifted the momentum in their favor.

We silenced their crowd, and the denial of the goal provided them with a boost and allowed them to regain momentum.

"Aaron [Hickey] has performed exceptionally well since joining us, it's just unfortunate. [Ryan] Porteous almost saves the situation by clearing it, but the deflection hits their player and results in a goal."

We have the opportunity to finish at the top of the group as it is within our control. We have a few games scheduled next month and winning them will allow us to achieve that goal. Additionally, the outcome of the game between Spain and Norway this weekend might also work in our favor. Therefore, there are still exciting prospects to anticipate.