Scotland boss Steve Clarke has challenged his players to step it up and build on a promising start to their World Cup qualifying campaign.
A 2-0 victory over Belarus thanks to a Che Adams strike and an own goal means that Scotland have taken four points from their opening two matches after a goalless draw with Denmark in Copenhagen last week.
After the Danes claimed a stunning 3-0 win in Greece, the results over the opening two rounds of fixtures have blown the group wide open.
‘It’s a good start, a solid start, and a pleasing night’s work,’ said the Scotland boss, whose side won comfortably against the Belarusians in a behind-closed-doors contest in neutral Hungary.
‘Four points will never qualify you for anything. It’s nice to go home with a smile on your face, but I’m already thinking about next month. Clean sheets are what we have to build the campaign on.’
The Scots face a home double-header next month against Greece and Belarus but have put themselves in pole position to qualify as victory in their three home matches would give them an outstanding chance of topping the section.
Scotland boss Steve Clarke was satisfied with the 2-0 victory against Belarus in Hungary
Che Adams celebrates scoring Scotland’s opening goal in the World Cup qualifying match
Winger Ben Gannon Doak was among those who performed well in the closed-doors game
‘It was a tough night,’ Clarke added. ‘I expected the reaction Belarus gave (after losing heavily to Greece last week). They started big guys and filled the middle of the park.
‘We kept prodding, doing what we wanted to do. The message was just to stay patient and we managed to do that. I thought we controlled the game well.
‘Billy (Gilmour) and Ben (Gannon Doak) are two players who excite the public. My job is to pick a team to win the game. Both of them did very well.’
Scotland captain Andy Robertson also praised the impact of Gannon Doak, the winger starting after coming off on the bench in Copenhagen.
‘The gaffer put him on the left so I could look after him, but he doesn’t need much looking after,’ said Robertson of his former Liverpool team-mate.
‘He’s a huge talent. He wants to take people on and his decision-making was good on the whole.
‘We put in some shift on Friday against Denmark and had to freshen it up. The four players that came in were excellent. We need the full squad if we’re going to qualify.
‘We knew Belarus would try to be a bit more secure and defensive. We just had to be patient and got the goal at the perfect time just before half-time. We got the second goal and could have had more, but a job well done.’
