Clarke conjured the image of Dalglish before Scotland's win over Spain
‘That’s what it means to the country’: Steve Clarke reveals conjuring the image of Kenny Dalglish’s goal against Spain in 1984 before Scotland’s historic win on Tuesday
- Scotland pulled off a famous 2-0 win over Spain in their Euros qualifier
- Scott McTominay scored a brace to move Scotland top of their group
- Steve Clarke inspired the players using Kenny Dalglish’s goal against Spain
Steve Clarke insists Scotland conjured up a night to remember after a stunning win over Spain.
Clarke’s side stormed to the top of Euro 2024 qualifying Group A with six points from a possible six after Scott McTominay claimed his second international double in four days.
The most significant scalp for Scotland’s national team since beating France in 2007, a 2-0 win was also their first victory over Spain since Jock Stein was manager in November 1984.
And Clarke used the memories of a famous win 39 years ago to preserve their 100 per cent record after Saturday’s 3-0 win over Cyprus.
‘I spoke about Kenny Dalglish scoring that goal in 1984 and I said to the players: “That’s what it means to the country”.
Scotland boss Steve Clarke inspired his players using Kenny Dalglish’s goal against Spain
They went on to pull off another famous win, with Scott McTominay scoring both goals in a 2-0 win on Tuesday
‘I told them: “If you can produce a result against one of the top teams in Europe, people will speak about you in years to come”.
‘I am delighted. The players were outstanding from the first minute to last. It was a big night and it feels like a big step forward for us as a nation and a team.
‘But it’s just six points and I told the players that you don’t qualify with six points…
‘We were a threat when we had the ball but we also defended really well. It was a big win but there are plenty of games to go. One bad game can set you back so we stay focused and keep our feet on the ground.’
Scorer of two late goals against the Cypriots, McTominay claimed the opener after a Spanish slip in the seventh minute. The Manchester United midfielder added a second early in the second half as Clarke’s side secured an unexpectedly comfortable three points.
‘All the credit goes to the players,’ said Clarke. ‘We had 16 players on the pitch and none of them let us down.
Clarke told the players they could be spoken about for ‘years to come’ with a result against Spain, as is the case with Dalglish
‘The seven players in the stand were every bit as happy as everyone else was. We knew it would be a night when Spain would have a lot of the ball, so it was important that when we had it we had to capitalise on the moments. We did that.
‘We got a little bit fortunate when their defender slipped (for the first goal) but we capitalised on the moment.
‘It’s very important that if the opposition make mistakes you capitalise on it against the top sides.’
Scotland’s qualification bid received a pre-match boost when group rivals Norway dropped points, drawing 1-1 in Georgia.
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