In October 2015, a Scotland side that had failed to qualify for the following summer’s European Championship was cheered from the rooftops at Estádio Algarve as Gibraltar were seen off 6-0. Gordon Strachan, buoyed by this giddy scene, opted to stay on for another campaign; which Scotland botched as well. Looking back, celebration despite these unsuccessful attempts to reach finals feels cringeworthy.
Scotland’s return to the outskirts of Faro came in altogether different circumstances. The Tartan Army did not bother travelling to Portugal en masse. They have much bigger fish to fry. A week on Friday, Steve Clarke’s team will kick off Euro 2024 with a clash against Germany, the tournament hosts.
Scotland wanted to rattle home a few goals against Gibraltar, afford some much-needed minutes to fringe players and continue with preparations for the more serious business. Clarke has lost five squad members to injury; Scotland can ill afford further fitness woes. Liam Cooper limped off 12 minutes before full time, causing heads to be placed in hands. Otherwise, this proved a low‑key means to an end. Clarke did not leave his seat in the stand for the entire 90 minutes.
Scotland were functional rather than flashy. The visit on Friday of Finland to Hampden Park will surely prove more insightful. There, Scotland’s support will allow the players the tournament send-off they fully deserve.
Reaching half-time while still scoreless was hardly relevant in big‑picture terms but it still represented a minor embarrassment for the Scots. France recently trounced Gibraltar 14-0. There are legitimate questions about Scotland’s ability to break down packed defences. Germany will not provide one but Group A’s other teams, Hungary and Switzerland, will have taken notice.
Ryan Christie’s breaking of the deadlock raised Scottish spirits. Clarke’s side were on their way to ending a run of seven games without victory. Ché Adams added gloss to the scoreline with a ferocious finish. Scotland had 24 efforts at goal. Their manager is hopeful Cooper will recover in a few days from a “knee‑on‑knee” collision.
Clarke also offered hope to Tommy Conway, the Scotland Under-21 striker who could receive a late European Championship call-up. “He is a good boy Tommy and he is certainly in my mind,” Clarke said.
“I’ve still got to sit down with all the coaches and just have a little chat through to try to come up with something that will help us now going into this tournament. That’s for tomorrow.” It felt as if the absence of potency against Gibraltar had struck a chord.
Scotland controlled the first half but lacked punch in attack. With a little more conviction, the centre‑back Grant Hanley would have celebrated a hat‑trick. Christie was the first to test the debutant Jaylan Hankins in the Gibraltar goal. From the subsequent corner, Hanley’s header cleared the crossbar. James Forrest should have scored from an Andy Robertson cut-back but fluffed his lines. Christie volleyed over, Kenny McLean missed with a header and Ryan Porteous could not convert the rebound after Hankins blocked Hanley’s latest attempt.
Hanley’s opportunity four minutes before the interval was the best of the lot but again Scotland were frustrated. In reply, Gibraltar had just one tame shot. An upset never felt at all in the offing, it was simply that Scotland had to do much more with their territorial superiority. Clarke told his players as much at half-time.
Clarke resisted any temptation to implement wholesale interval change. Cooper replaced Hanley and that was that. The second period was played against the background yapping of the groundsman’s dog, which made its presence felt from the main stand. Christie showed his pedigree as he lashed high into the net, Gibraltar having failed to deal with a Robertson cross.
Cooper’s departure was the most notable aspect of what happened next. “Liam’s OK,” Clarke said. “We’ll see how he is in the morning. He’s a tough man.”
Adams, who will surely lead the Scotland line against Germany, ensured the scoreboard more accurately reflected the direction of traffic. John McGinn was the creator before Adams fired home an angled volley. This proved a marquee ending to a game that won’t linger long in the memory of anybody who attended. That was precisely Scotland’s intention.
