Sebastien Pocognoli's first match in charge of Scotland ended in a 0-0 stalemate away to Slovenia in the Nations League, a result the new head coach described as encapsulating two very different halves of football.
The encounter in Ljubljana marked the start of a new era for the Scots following Steve Clarke's seven-year reign, which came to a close after this summer's World Cup campaign. Pocognoli's opening outing brought debuts for Robbie Ure and a first Scotland goal chance for several fringe players, though ultimately the national side could not convert their improved second-half performance into three points.
Scotland looked out of sorts for much of the opening 45 minutes, unsettled by Slovenia's setup and struggling to impose any real structure on the game. However, the visitors emerged after the break a transformed side, dominating possession and territory and fashioning a string of opportunities that, on another day, might have been enough to secure victory.
"First half, was not what we expected in terms of structure," Pocognoli explained. "We were in between for the press, actually we were a little bit surprised about the formation of Slovenia, but at half-time we fixed this and you can see that the second half was much better. We produced what we wanted to show every minute, but first half we learned to stick together, to defend the box, to be resilient and to be patient to change the game."
Central to that turnaround was Napoli midfielder Billy Gilmour, making his return after missing the World Cup qualifying push through injury sustained in a warm-up fixture against Curacao. Lining up alongside Lewis Ferguson, Gilmour was repositioned slightly deeper at the interval, a tactical tweak that allowed Scotland greater control in possession.
"We fixed the position of Billy to be a little bit lower and to have Oli McBurnie a little bit more in his box, with two sixes and two 10s, and we were more compact to regain the ball when we lost it," Pocognoli said. "Also, that creates some imbalance in the defence from Slovenia, where we can go through the lines with a good chance of Billy or through the depth with the chance of Kieron Bowie or with some crosses. He's a fantastic player, I really like him. He's a creative player who always looks forward, always ready to find a solution with a clear game plan, also a good presence around the box and also very good defensively."
Gilmour completed 32 passes into the final third, the most of any player on the pitch, and was directly involved in several of Scotland's best chances. He combined with returning striker Oli McBurnie — back in the squad for the first time since 2021 amid injuries to Che Adams and Lawrence Shankland — to tee up a shooting opportunity, before setting debutant Ure through on goal, only for the Sevilla forward to opt for a cross rather than a shot. Gilmour also produced an inviting through ball for substitute Kieron Bowie, who could not find a way past Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak.
McBurnie also went close, failing to round Oblak after robbing possession, and later seeing a header from a corner saved. Ure had earlier struck the post with a low effort from outside the box in the first half. Bowie, despite playing only 25 minutes after coming off the bench, registered the highest expected goals value in the Scotland side at 0.94, but could not convert either of his two clear sightings of goal.
Between them, McBurnie, Ure and Bowie have scored just one club goal this season and none for Scotland, underlining a broader concern about the squad's cutting edge in front of goal — the team has now scored only once in its last four competitive fixtures.
Despite the missed opportunities, pundits praised Scotland's second-half performance, with former midfielder John Collins labelling Gilmour "the catalyst for everything" after the break, and former winger Pat Nevin likening his role to "a creative 10". Still, the point leaves questions over Scotland's finishing as the Pocognoli era begins, with three more Nations League fixtures to follow in this international window.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.