Scotland are back in business: John McGinn wound healer, unplayable Ben Doak, Steve Clarke's match-winning tweak

The Scots might still have to defeat Poland on Monday in Warsaw to avoid automatic relegation from the top tier of the Nations League but that doesn't seem so fanciful after a spirited second-half performance produced the goal that eventually saw the ten men of Croatia overcome. It's even possible, if unlikely, that Scotland can still finish second in their group and progress to the quarter finals.

Steve Clarke wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea a few months ago. He might have been back in the firing line had Scotland failed to take advantage of Petar Sucic’s red card towards the end of the first half. But a teenager by the name of Ben Doak, who might have made a difference in Germany this summer had he not sustained an injury, has arrived on the scene in timely fashion. 

Clarke deserves praise for putting so much faith in the on-loan Middlesbrough youngster. This was his third successive start for the 19-year-old and while he of course exhibits moments of rawness, what a talent Scotland have at their disposal. Clarke can also take credit for the triple substitution just before the 65-minute mark that helped force the breakthrough. Lyndon Dykes replaced Tommy Conway, who had found the going tough on his first start. 

Ryan Gauld came on for Ryan Christie and was excellent while John McGinn replaced Kenny McLean and emerged as the match winner, scoring his 19th international goal to equal Ally McCoist’s tally. It came with four minutes of normal time left and with Hampden becoming more and more agitated.

Don’t panic. Doak, who was becoming almost unplayable on the right, evaded Josko Gvardiol for the umpteenth time, before firing in a cross that was only parried by keeper Dominik Kotarski into the path of super sub McGinn who steered the ball past a ruck of bodies. It was a goal that healed a lot of wounds, dating back to the European Championship finals, and perhaps even beyond. It secured Scotland’s first competitive win since September last year, remarkably.

Clarke wants Scotland to copy whatever it is Croatia do to maintain their position as one of the world’s top sides and this was a demonstration why the team in the red and white checked shirts ought to be envied. They are not perfect, however. Somehow they failed to score in the opening 43 minutes before the dynamics were significantly altered.

Croatia’s brand of possession football is all well and good with eleven men. It is a more challenging concept with just ten. Equally difficult can be playing against opponents who are a player down, as Scotland duly proved. There might have been a lot less anxiety had Billy Gilmour worn his shooting boots, with the midfielder blasting high over on a couple of occasions, including when the better positioned Doak was out wide screaming for the ball.

There was a welcome sequel to the Gvardiol v Doak drama from Zagreb a month ago. Unlike the second instalment of Gladiator, this was not a disappointment. The winger, who has turned 19 since that evening, displayed both his thrilling talent and undoubted rawness. One thing’s for sure, his opposite man from Manchester City will be happy he won’t be coming up against Doak again for a while.

Not that it was all one way in the one-on-one battles. Gvardiol, indeed, even cheekily hoisted the ball over Doak’s head after a delicious touch from the defender left him contemplating his options near the byline after a sweeping delivery from Modric. ‘Bad move, old man,’ Doak might have said to the defender, who is three years his senior. 

At the next opportunity, Doak got some revenge, turning Gvardiol inside out with cute nutmeg that recalled a similar incident in Zagreb before the youngster had the precense of mind to pick out McTominay. The Napoli player probably should have done better but his shot still brought off a save from Kotarski, hitherto desperately underemployed.

It signalled a burst of Scotland pressure that helped rouse a Friday night crowd eager to enjoy their evening. Are you not entertained? Well, no, not yet. Not everyone’s idea of entertainment is watching a 39-year-old pull the strings in the middle of the midfield but it was certainly a privilege to set eyes on Luka Modric again, perhaps for the last time on Scottish soil. We were treated to another Modric masterclass. He manages to wreak havoc with minimal industry. A flick here, a short pass there.

He was able to count on willing and talented support. Two of Croatia’s front four were aged 21 while another was 22. The dangerous No.9 Andrej Kramaric might have helped himself to a couple of goals before Scotland had properly warmed up. A misplaced pass from Kenny McLean gave the striker a chance which he pulled wide of Craig Gordon’s far post. The soon-to-depart Petar Susic then shot over after the ball had been delivered to him, with Kramaric again playing a prominent part, after a burst from Mateo Kovacic.

After dealing with the admittedly short period of pressure Scotland had managed to inflict, the visitors were pushing hard again for the opener before their world fell in. Sucic challenged for a ball he didn’t have to in the middle of the park and left more on John Souttar than the referee felt was necessary. He had already been booked for foul on Gilmour and a second yellow might have been a little harsh on the Dinamo Zagreb midfielder, who took an age to walk off. Even Modric, usually so unflappable, was aghast and picked up a booking for his complaints.

Perhaps one blessing for Croatia was how close it was to half-time. They were able to see out the half, including a couple of minutes of injury time, before re-grouping. They worked hard but left with nothing, a feeling Scotland know all too well.