>
‘We want to do ourselves justice’: Scotland boss Steve Clarke targets revenge mission against Ireland after atonement for lost World Cup play-off by beating Ukraine
- Scotland defeated Ukraine 3-0 in the Nations League on Wednesday evening
- Steve Clarke’s side jumped over the visitors to take the lead in Group E
- John McGinn opened the scoring in the second half with a well finished finish
- Supersub Lyndon Dykes scored two identical headers to round out the win
- Click here for all the latest 2022 World Cup news and updates
<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
Steve Clarke saw Scotland storm to the top of Nations League Group B1 with a stunning 3-0 win over Ukraine in Hampden, before calling on his players to make a repeat against Ireland on Saturday.
On a night when his side created plenty of chances, captain John McGinn broke through 20 minutes from time. Lyndon Dykes then headed two goals from fellow substitute Ryan Fraser’s corners for an emphatic and deserved win.
That saw the Scots partly make up for their World Cup play-off loss to Ukraine in June.
Scotland boss Steve Clarke has called on his players to deliver a repeat against Ireland
And with Ireland in Hampden on Saturday, Clarke wants his side to pay for the Dublin debacle when his side lost 3-0 in June, before heading to the final Nations League game against Ukraine in neutral Poland on Tuesday.
The Scotland boss said: ‘It was a good performance and we were very happy with it. Now we have to go and reset for Saturday.
“We’re going to go and rest and recover and get ready for a tough game against the Republic of Ireland over the weekend.
“Of course we went out in the summer and we didn’t do ourselves justice. We want to do ourselves justice on Saturday.
Steve Clarke’s side was a leap forward from their opponents and is now on pole position in Group E
‘Is Ireland the perfect game for us? Without being disrespectful, I’d rather play San Marino. No, listen, it’s a different game. Hopefully we can have a similar performance and result.
“These guys want to be successful for their country. They have shown that in a number of matches. Things don’t always go the way you want in football.
“You have difficult moments. The main thing is to respond to it.
“We reacted tonight, but we have to react again on Saturday because we want to be in a position to go to Poland to play against Ukraine in the last game where we have a realistic chance of being at the top of the section.”
Clarke returned to four in the back instead of three and his excellent Scotland secured a two point lead at the top of the table with just two games to go.
Captain John McGinn opened the scoring with a successful finish in the 70th minute
He said: “I’ve been saying for a while that I want a team that is capable of playing more than one system. Was it a risk? The only risk was that you would have hit me if I was wrong.
‘We gave the boys a lot of information in a very short time, mostly boring.
“We took them through walk-throughs on the field and we met in the conference room.
“They took it on board and they did a good job of what we wanted them to do.
“It was a good performance, congratulations to the boys.”
But there was a big blow when Everton right-back Nathan Patterson was injured in the first half. He was replaced by Aaron Hickey who played a fine game like so many in dark blue.
Lyndon Dykes came off the bench late to score two headers against Ukraine in the 3-0 win
Clarke said, “Nathan needs to go away and be judged. It doesn’t look like a good one. Fingers crossed it’s not a big deal.
“But I was happy for Aaron Hickey. Everyone forgets his age and his experience.
“I think he probably felt more like an international player tonight.
“He has grown very well in the game. He came in and I thought he was really good.
“It was not an easy task to play against Mykhaylo Mudryk, which many people are watching. Mudryk has a good pace, but Aaron got on well with him.
“We have good strength in depth and that’s what we’re trying to build.
“Of course you need a good team with three games in a very short time.”