- Published
When Scott McKenna was sent off late in the night in Skopje, North Macedonia did something they looked entirely incapable of doing for 80-plus minutes spent buried in Scotland's collective pocket.
asserted
they → publish → pocket
They strung a couple of passes together, had a few shots, raised an odd cheer from their dismally small support.
asserted
They → string → support
Fair play to them because for much of this Nations League game it looked as if they were comatose; out-played and out-fought.
asserted
they → look → game
Scotland, with their energy and urgency, had reduced them to the ranks of the lifeless.
asserted
Scotland → reduce → lifeless
Skopje is a city of statues, two or three hundred of them apparently, great big things in squares and in fountains commemorating tsars and dames, emperors and warriors, royalty and revolutionaries.
asserted
Skopje → commemorate → tsars
You could have taken any 11 of them off their perch and put them in the North Macedonia starting line-up and they'd have posed Scotland more of a challenge than the beleaguered home team managed for most of this encounter.
uncertain
team → take → encounter
At one point in the first half a dog ran on to the pitch.
asserted
dog → run → pitch
They'd have been better off putting a shirt on his back.
asserted
They → put → back
At least he'd have had some bite.
asserted
he → have → bite
The scoreline does a terrible job in capturing what happened.
asserted
what → do → job
Scotland had 25 shots to nine, 10 on target to zero.
asserted
Scotland → have → zero
Before McKenna walked, they had touched the ball 37 times in North Macedonia's penalty area, North Macedonia had touched it twice in Scotland's.
asserted
Macedonia → walk → Scotland
On the night that Andy Robertson won his 100th cap, this was one of his most straightforward matches of all.
asserted
this → win → all
A rout, if two goals can be called a rout.
asserted
goals → call → ?
Two going on four and five, maybe six on what was a poor pitch in a soulless stadium, save for the visiting fans, who made a racket, as ever.
asserted
who → go → racket
They had ambition but not enough execution.
asserted
They → have → ambition
They created chance upon chance but didn't have the killer touch nearly as often as you'd like.
asserted
you → create → touch
That might come as things progress.
uncertain
things → come → ?
Certainly, a burden was lifted off the head coach, Sebastien Pocognoli.
asserted
burden → lift → coach
No more chat about the search for the elusive goal, no more of that creeping negativity as he waited for a first win.
asserted
he → creep → win
The air is a touch lighter for him now as he prepares for Slovenia at Hampden on Tuesday.
asserted
he → prepare → Tuesday
It was a big occasion for Robertson the centurion; a major achievement in the career of Kieron Bowie, who rifled in a terrific early goal that settled everyone down; a memorable experience for Luis Binks, Stephen Welsh and the substitute Robbie Ure, who now know what it feels like not just to play for their country but to win for their country.
asserted
it → rifle → country
Binks and Welsh look at home in that Scotland defence.
asserted
Binks → look → defence
There was a strong sense from the start that everything would be OK for Scotland and it came in the shape of the Duracell Bunny that was the captain.
asserted
that → be → Bunny
Robertson began like a dervish.
asserted
Robertson → begin → dervish
Four shots in 13 minutes - he's never had four shots in 90 minutes in any one of his 99 caps before Saturday.
asserted
he → have → Saturday
They had six shots in 15 minutes, the most picture-perfect of them being Bowie's strike.
asserted
perfect → have → them
Oli McBurnie did some work beforehand - his wait for a goal goes on, 19 caps and counting - then the wonderful Billy Gilmour got involved.
asserted
Gilmour → do → goal
The truth is that he's both, a tempo-setter when dropping deep, a dangerous passer when moving forward, a complete footballer at the peak of his powers.
asserted
he → drop → powers
His footwork did for a defender, his accuracy did for a goalkeeper.
asserted
accuracy → do → goalkeeper
It was a rare moment of precision in front of goal, another illustration that despite their issues in scoring goals, Scotland have a promising array of strikers these days.
asserted
Scotland → score → strikers
Time, and the confidence of this victory, should make them better.
asserted
them → make → victory
Ben Gannon-Doak turned North Macedonia inside out and upside down.
asserted
Doak → turn → Macedonia
He is woefully short of minutes for his club, Bournemouth, and lacks sharpness and ruthlessness as a consequence.
asserted
He → lack → consequence
His delivery has always lacked accuracy.
asserted
delivery → lack → accuracy
He never left North Macedonia alone.
asserted
He → leave → Macedonia
They survived only because he blasted over with one of his chances, shot tamely with another, lost composure with a third one.
asserted
he → survive → one
Having tormented North Macedonia, he allowed them off the hook, but he was a one-man thrill-fest.
asserted
he → torment → hook
He's 20, that can't be forgotten.
asserted
that → forget → ?
He's going to be around for a lot of years and will play a heap of big games, but with his club he's got some decisions to make.
asserted
he → go → decisions
…and 12 more, not listed.
The Aporia
