Andy Robertson is the toast of Scotland tonight after he handed then a UEFA Nations League lifeline in dramatic circumstances.
Steve Clarke’s side were being held 1-1 by Poland in stoppage time in Warsaw, a scoreline which would’ve seen them relegated automatically to League B, but the Liverpool defender netted a 93rd-minute winner to instead give them the safety net of a relegation play-off in March.
The 30-year-old was making his 80th appearance for his country tonight, and he ensured that it’d be a match to remember for all the right reasons.
Robertson scores stoppage time winner
In the third minute of added time in Warsaw, John Souttar made the most of the considerable time and space that he had to deliver a delightful curled cross into the Polish penalty area.
Robertson read the flight of the ball all the way and got above his opponent to crash a header beyond Lukasz Skorupski and secure a second win in four days for Scotland, who duly avoid automatic relegation at the expense of their hosts.
Robertson the toast of Scotland
Scottish media and pundits were inevitably besides themselves with glee at that last-gasp intervention, with BBC reporter Jane Lewis exclaiming: “There it is!!!! There’s that Oslo spirit. Amazing!”.
Meanwhile, ex-Tartan Army defender Willie Miller proclaimed on BBC Sportsound: “What a header it was from Andy Robertson. You don’t expect that! Just sensational.”
When Clarke needed someone to produce a moment of magic in the nick of time against Poland tonight, up stepped his country’s captain to heed the call and, remarkably, score his first international goal in nearly five-and-a-half years.
Robertson enjoyed a terrific performance overall in Warsaw, as reflected in a series of statistics from Sofascore. The Liverpool left-back won four duels, completed 100% of his dribbles, recorded three shots (including his winning goal), delivered two key passes and executed six accurate long balls.
The Scots aren’t guaranteed League A status for the next Nations League campaign just yet, with a play-off to come against a second-placed finisher in League B, but to even salvage that much marks a remarkable turnaround after losing their first three matches of this group.
It could also have beneficial consequences regarding their seeding for the 2026 World Cup qualifying draw next month, something which’d delight the Reds defender.
You can view Robertson’s winner against Poland below, via @ScotlandNT on X:
Andy Robertson’s first Scotland goal in five years…
…and what a time to get it #POLSCO pic.twitter.com/a5kaKORAt5
— Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) November 18, 2024
