Category News

World Cup qualifying: Scotland v Denmark

Venue: Hampden Park, Glasgow Date: Tuesday, 18 November Time: 19:45 GMT

Scotland “can’t let go” of the opportunity they have to reach a first men’s World Cup since 1998, says midfielder John McGinn.

McGinn set up Ben Gannon-Doak’s goal as the Scots fought back from three down but ultimately lost 3-2 in Greece on Saturday.

However, Belarus’ 2-2 draw in Denmark meant the Danes are only a point above Steve Clarke’s side going into Tuesday’s final round of qualifiers, when Scotland and Denmark go head to head at Hampden.

Win and Scotland will finish top and qualify for next summer’s finals. Draw and defeat, and it’s the play-offs.

He said it “shouldn’t have taken us to 3-0 down” to produce the performance they mustered in the final 25 minutes.

“The manager said the last 20, 30 minutes was everything that we’ve shown as a group over the past five, six years which got us some success, which got us to tournaments – direct, full of energy, brave, creating chances,” the Aston Villa captain explained.

“What an effort we put in towards the end. It feels a bit weird, the feeling of relief that Denmark didn’t win gives us an opportunity for a cup final on Tuesday night.

“We’ve showed signs of a better performance, but there’s still a lot to learn, we know that.

Aaron Hickey was replaced by Anthony Ralston at right-back for the final 15 minutes and said it was “for sure” harder being “off the pitch” than on it.

“Just having to wait and see,” said the Brentford defender, 23. “But when you’re on the pitch, you’re just focusing on the game.

“It was chaos and just waiting on the pitch at the end of the match to hear the fans go mental was a good feeling for us. But we know we have to keep our heads on the ground and full focus for Tuesday. A massive chance, so we just need to keep our heads up.

“We need to start the match better, right from the first whistle to the end. Just give it everything. Hopefully, the Tartan Army can get behind us and go with that full momentum into the game and just put the pressure on them.”

Goalkeeper Craig Gordon believed the game in Piraeus “could have ended any score”, with Greek attacker Tasos Bakasetas sent off for a second booking hear the end.

“You heard the noise there from the Tartan Army,” said the 42-year-old. “They’ve got a cup final on Tuesday night.

“That’s the best we’ve played for a few games now. We kind of rediscovered that in the last 20 minutes, which was nice to know that’s still in there.

Former scrum-half Conor Murray said that Mack Hansen has “world-class ability” after his first-half hat-trick in Ireland’s 46-19 win against Australia on Saturday.

Hansen, who was starting an Ireland game at full-back for the first time, starred on his return from a foot injury with three tries inside the opening 30 minutes as Ireland picked up a record win over Australia.

Speaking on the Ireland Rugby Social podcast, Murray praised Canberra-born Hansen for his influence on and off the pitch for Andy Farrell’s side.

“He has been missed around the squad because he is such a personality. Whatever he brings to the group, he just makes people feel really good,” Murray explained.

“He brings fun, he brings a relaxed atmosphere and then he brings this world-class ability to play rugby.

“His tries look easy, the first two especially, but I can be sure, watching them back, he’s been talking to Sam [Prendergast] or Bundee [Aki], or whoever he’s trying to be on the shoulder of to link with.

Hansen won 28 caps on the wing for Ireland, but was thrust into the full-back position for the first time at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday with Hugo Keenan and Jamie Osborne both injured.

While Murray says other players would find such a change for a big Test game “tough”, Hansen’s “ultra-confidence” helped him to make a seamless transition.

“He’s not arrogant, he’s just ultra confident in what he can do, where he can play and what he brings to the squad,” Murray continued.

“He would have leaned on Hugo Keenan during the week; he would have talked to people like Jamie Osborne, who’s played full-back recently really well for Ireland, and been open to being told what to do and where to be.

“Athletic wise, he is really impressive. He’s really quick, really strong but what sets Mack apart is his knowledge of the game. Where to be, positioning, understanding of where to be in attack.”

Former scrum-half Conor Murray said that Mack Hansen has “world-class ability” after his first-half hat-trick in Ireland’s 46-19 win against Australia on Saturday.

Hansen, who was starting an Ireland game at full-back for the first time, starred on his return from a foot injury with three tries inside the opening 30 minutes as Ireland picked up a record win over Australia.

Speaking on the Ireland Rugby Social podcast, Murray praised Canberra-born Hansen for his influence on and off the pitch for Andy Farrell’s side.

“He has been missed around the squad because he is such a personality. Whatever he brings to the group, he just makes people feel really good,” Murray explained.

“He brings fun, he brings a relaxed atmosphere and then he brings this world-class ability to play rugby.

“His tries look easy, the first two especially, but I can be sure, watching them back, he’s been talking to Sam [Prendergast] or Bundee [Aki], or whoever he’s trying to be on the shoulder of to link with.

Hansen won 28 caps on the wing for Ireland, but was thrust into the full-back position for the first time at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday with Hugo Keenan and Jamie Osborne both injured.

While Murray says other players would find such a change for a big Test game “tough”, Hansen’s “ultra-confidence” helped him to make a seamless transition.

“He’s not arrogant, he’s just ultra confident in what he can do, where he can play and what he brings to the squad,” Murray continued.

“He would have leaned on Hugo Keenan during the week; he would have talked to people like Jamie Osborne, who’s played full-back recently really well for Ireland, and been open to being told what to do and where to be.

“Athletic wise, he is really impressive. He’s really quick, really strong but what sets Mack apart is his knowledge of the game. Where to be, positioning, understanding of where to be in attack.”