Scotland secured a routine victory over North Macedonia on Saturday, handing new manager Sébastien Pocognoli his first win in charge after a dominant display in Skopje. Kieron Bowie opened the scoring in the seventh minute, and John McGinn added a second-half penalty to seal a 2-0 success, despite Scott McKenna's late red card.
Bowie, recalled to the starting lineup after being withdrawn following Jack Hendry's dismissal in Tuesday's defeat to Switzerland, repaid Pocognoli's trust almost immediately. Collecting a pass from Billy Gilmour some 25 yards from goal, the forward shrugged off the attention of two defenders, steadied himself, and curled a superb left-footed strike beyond goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski to put Scotland ahead inside the opening ten minutes.
The early goal settled any nerves surrounding what was always expected to be a manageable assignment against a struggling North Macedonia side, who have now failed to score in seven consecutive matches. Scotland controlled proceedings from the outset, with Andy Robertson - winning his 100th cap - particularly influential down the left flank. The Tottenham defender tested Dimitrievski with a fine effort inside the first five minutes and continued to push forward throughout, looking to answer recent critics of his international form.
Chances continued to fall Scotland's way as the half progressed. Robertson was presented with a glorious opportunity after a clever ball from McGinn, operating out of position at right-back, but opted to shoot himself rather than square the ball to Oli McBurnie, dragging his effort wide. Ben Gannon-Doak and Bowie also squandered openings as the hosts, rattled by Scotland's pressure, made two substitutions before the half-hour mark.
The visitors' wastefulness in front of goal was their only blemish. Early in the second half, Gannon-Doak raced clear of the North Macedonia defense but could only shoot tamely at Dimitrievski. Moments later, Scotland believed they had won a penalty when Gannon-Doak went down in the box, but a VAR review correctly determined the Bournemouth winger had stepped on the foot of Matej Gashtarov rather than the reverse.
Scotland's second goal eventually arrived via a change of fortune at a corner. McKenna's header down to Bowie was initially penalized for a foul, but the decision was overturned, and instead North Macedonia's Bojan Miovski was penalized for blocking Bowie's follow-up with his arm. McGinn stepped up and finished confidently to double the lead, moving to 22 international goals - a tally bettered by only three players in Scotland's history.
Half-time substitute Ryan Christie brought added composure to the midfield and looks set to feature prominently when Slovenia visit Hampden Park on Tuesday. Goalkeeper Angus Gunn, whose place had come under scrutiny before the match, was barely tested throughout.
The only sour note for Pocognoli came six minutes from time, when McKenna was sent off for upending Agon Elezi after a loose pass from Robertson put his teammate under pressure - a moment the Tottenham defender later admitted responsibility for. McKenna will now miss the Slovenia fixture.
Reflecting on his milestone appearance, Robertson spoke emotionally about his achievement. "It means everything to me and my family," he said. "It has been an unbelievable journey. It is emotional for me because I love this country and this is a special achievement. I believe I still have a lot to give."
Despite being reduced to ten men, Scotland saw out the remainder of the match comfortably, with McGinn denied a second goal in stoppage time. The result keeps Scotland firmly in contention in Nations League section B1 ahead of tougher tests to come.
Based on reporting from Guardian Football.