Scotland had to wait for more than two decades to make it through to the finals of a major competition, but their spirited show went in vain when Patrik Schick fired in twice outrageously against the run of play. The mastery of Tomáš Vaclík between the sticks kept on denying Steve Clarke’s men from staging a comeback.
Below are the Scotland players rated in their disappointing 2-0 defeat against the Czech Republic.
David Marshall: 7
His heroics in the tie-breaker earned the Tartan Army a place in the Euro 2020, but the 36-year-old custodian got beaten twice despite making some timely stops.
Stephen O’Donnell: 4
The Motherwell right fullback struggled to settle in and was probably the weakest link for his side on the pitch. He must upgrade his crossing traits and return to his defensive duties a bit quicker from the next game onwards. Was taken off late in the game to make way for James Forrest.
Jack Hendry: 7
Was unlucky as his strike hit the woodwork early in the second half. Did justice in deep defence as the gaffer relied on the Celtic centre-half who enjoyed an exquisite loan spell at Oostende. Got replaced by Callum McGregor midway through the second half.
Grant Hanley: 6.5
Should have done a bit better in the air when Schick headed home to break the deadlock late in the first half. Lost a few duels but overall dominated from the heart of the backline.
Liam Cooper: 6.5
The Leeds skipper played a few great balls forward, but could not stop Schick from pulling the trigger from Vladimír Coufal’s cross. Tried to play it out from the back and combine with Robertson.
Andy Robertson: 8
The Liverpool left-back was menacing every time with his energetic runs and crosses from the left-hand flank. His strike was tipped over by Vaclík early in the game which was pretty much on target and could have changed the game completely if it ended up in the back of the net.
Scott McTominay: 6
Should have done a lot better from central midfield in terms of creating chances and switching the play. Made some down the middle runs and had an appeal for a penalty denied late in the first half. Did not contribute much to the build-ups.
John McGinn: 7
Tried his best to carry the ball forward and play swift one-twos to open up space in Czech defence. Was operating from behind the front two at one stage, but his presence made no difference to the scoreline in spite of knocking on the door time and again.
Stuart Armstrong: 6.5
Had a couple of strikes on target which, however, got blocked or deflected wide. Worked hard to keep control of the midfield game before making way for Ryan Fraser midway through the second half.
Ryan Christie: 5.5
Operated as the supporting striker alongside Dykes but was taken off at half-time to bring in Che Adams. Had a bright start with some smart movements inside the box, however, the Celtic attacker faded away after half an hour and struggled to create chances in the attacking third.
Lyndon Dykes: 5.5
Got denied twice by Vaclík in the second half. Should have done a lot better though as his touches were heavy at times. Lacked the pace and could not dominate aerially despite some pinpoint crosses from Robertson. Made way for Kevin Nisbet late in the match.
Scotland Substitutes Vs Czech
Che Adams: 6
His pace and physicality caused some initial terror in Czech defence. But the visitors dealt with it eventually and the Southampton ‘number 9’ ran out of ideas in the closing minutes of the contest.
Callum McGregor: 6.5
His inclusion helped Scotland to have more possession in midfield. The Hoops star played some decent balls forward and linked up well to utilize the space from behind the frontline.
Ryan Fraser: 5.5
Could not make much of an impact except for a few runs from the right-hand flank.
James Forrest: 6.5
An impressive cameo from the wide attacking ace who almost pulled one back in the closing minutes.
Kevin Nisbet: 6.5
Looked sharper than Dykes with his movements and decision-making.
