Ryan Christie has reassured the Tartan Army that Scotland will get it right on the night when they take on Germany, with the attacker relaxed about the number of chances that the national side are passing up at the moment.
Scotland laboured to break the deadlock against Gibraltar before Christie’s goal just before the hour finally got them on the scoresheet, before Che Adams scored a cracker late on to put a better sheen on the scoreline.
The Scots could and should have been out of sight, passing up countless golden opportunities in the first half in particular, coming on the back of similarly wasteful displays against The Netherlands and Northern Ireland.
But Christie says that when it matters, the Scotland players will have their shooting boots back on.
“There’s a bit of relief that we got the job done in the end,” Christie said.
“We had to be patient, because they played a low block the same as Northern Ireland had in the last game. The pitch was also really slow, there was no water on it at all and it’s hard to explain how much of a leveller that is, how little pace you can put into your game.
“But we should definitely have scored a few more. We’d have liked to be a couple ahead by half-time. I got the first one eventually, though, then Che got an absolute cracker and we’re definitely going into the Finland game a lot happier.
“I’m not really worried about us missing chances. We didn’t have trouble finding the net in the qualifiers and here’s hoping we’re saving the goals for over in Germany.
“It’ll be a completely different game over there. Hopefully they’ll be more open, which will suit us more.
“We’ve now got Finland before then, at our home ground with conditions that suit us better and we’ll look to put in a good performance to send us on our way with a few more goals under our belt.
“I think right across football it’s easier to raise your game when they’re something to play for. International friendlies are always a weird kind of feeling, they’re like pre-season games in the middle of all the competitive football.
“But when you’re playing for something, for your fans, it’s totally different. It lifts everything.”
Christie says that the Scotland players are loving being based in Glasgow during their preparations for the European Championships, and that they can feel the excitement building ahead of catching their plane to Germany.
“It’s great now that we’ve met up and it’s all just around the corner,” he said.
“For the final few weeks with your club, you’re trying not to think about it – and there’s no doubt you’re scared of getting injured.
“So, it’s nice to be here, to feel the buzz properly building up and trying to grow the momentum.
“Being in Glasgow, in the camp every day, speaking to you guys, talking to family and friends about their plans for going over, it all makes it feel real.
“There are so many requests for tickets, you’re inundated. I’ve got so many friends and family going and you feed off their excitement.”
