Clarke hails his ‘fantastic’ players after Scotland seal promotion to top tier of the Nations League

Steve Clarke praised his Scotland heroes after they took the Nations League victory against Ukraine in Krakow.

Plagued by all manner of injury and disease issues in the build-up, the Scots fought great despite being down to the bone. Clarke especially praised the defensive exploits of Ryan Porteous and Jack Hendry, calling the pair “excellent.”

Hibs star Porteous, who made an international debut, was immensely behind alongside Hendry as Scotland took the point they needed to win their group.

They have now been promoted to Group A and have the safety net of a Euro 2024 play-off to fall back on.

They’re also going into Pot Two for the main European qualifier draw – and Clarke was delighted with his players’ commitment.

“We wanted to show people that we weren’t what happened in the summer,” he said of defeats to Ukraine and the Republic of Ireland in the World Cup and Nations League play-offs respectively.

“We wanted to be better this week. We pressed a big button to reset. Three fantastic achievements, all different, but all vital.

Clarke and his coaching staff were delighted to get a hard-earned draw on Tuesday night

“Ryan Porteous was excellent for a debut. I am so happy for the boy, it shows that he is listening that he is learning.

“I’m so happy for Jack Hendry too – it was a big question for Jack. Everyone expects Callum McGregor and John McGinn to play three games with that intensity.

“But I had to ask Jack to do that again – he struggled a bit with a cold, but he was excellent in all three games.

“Ukraine is a very good team, we knew they would have moments in the game and asked Craig” [Gordon] to make saves – he did as he always does.’

Scotland battled hard to a goalless draw against Ukraine to seal promotion from Nations League

Scotland will be among the great players of European football when they promote to Group A of the Nations League.

Tuesday night’s scoreless draw in Krakow rounded out an excellent week for Clarke’s side, following victories over Ukraine and the Republic of Ireland in Hampden.

Clarke was delighted to see his players show courage and a desire to overcome a disease virus that had swept through the camp on the eve of the match.

He also insisted that Scotland should try to qualify directly for the next European Championship, rather than relying on the play-off.

Stuart Armstrong hit the air at the final whistle as Scotland got the result they needed

‘Sometimes that can excite you. Maybe I’ve exaggerated it a bit to excite us,’ he said. “It was a big night for us. We wanted to win the category.

“I sat down with my staff and said that (after the summer) we had to be more demanding of the players. Desperate to do good for their country, these players have taken it on board.

“I told them to take us to the next step, to make sure we do. This will make us feel good about ourselves. The fans too. The connection between players and supporters is fantastic.

‘I don’t want to stop. We want to keep getting better and better. The play-off is certain, but I don’t think we’ll need it.”

Scotland produced a fighting performance to get the point they needed in Krakow

Craig Gordon held out as Ukraine pushed for a winner in the second half