Scotland claim first win under Pocognoli — The Guardian

Scotland defeated the hosts 2-0 in Skopje, North Macedonia, in a Nations League match. According to The Guardian, it was Sébastien Pocognoli’s first victory as head coach of the Scotland team. Kieran Bowie and John McGinn scored the goals.

Bowie’s early goal

Bowie opened the scoring in the seventh minute. He received a pass from Billy Gilmour around 25 yards from goal, set himself up and struck with his left foot past goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski.

The Scots had chances to extend their lead before half-time. Andy Robertson fired wide after a pass from McGinn, while Ben Gannon-Doak and Bowie failed to convert their opportunities. The hosts made two substitutions during the first 30 minutes of the game.

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McGinn’s penalty and McKenna’s dismissal

In the 69th minute, McGinn doubled the visitors’ lead by converting a penalty. The referee initially ruled that Scott McKenna had committed a foul following a Scottish corner, but this decision was overturned. Bojan Miovski was penalised for handball when he blocked Bowie’s shot.

Late in the match, McKenna was shown a red card for a foul on Agon Elezi, which was deemed to have denied an obvious goalscoring opportunity. The defender will miss Scotland’s next match against Slovenia in Glasgow. North Macedonia did not register a single shot on target against Angus Gunn.

The match was Robertson’s 100th for the national team. For North Macedonia, it was their seventh consecutive game without scoring.