Following Scotland’s victory over Greece by a score of 1-0 on Thursday, fans of the national team were left fuming at the treatment that was given to Scott McTominay.
The penalty kick of the Napoli midfielder in the first half was sufficient to give Steve Clarke’s team the advantage going into the second leg of the match, which will take place at Hampden Park on Sunday.
In the event that Scotland were to triumph over both of the legs, it would ensure that they would be placed in League A for the subsequent iteration of the Nations League.
The first half was dominated by Scotland, and they were rewarded for their dominance when Lazaros Rota appeared to have tripped McTominay, which allowed the former Manchester United player to score a penalty kick that put his team ahead.
However, the task was made even more challenging by the gamesmanship of a few players from Greece, as well as by the participation of certain sections of the audience.
Before the penalty, McTominay was surrounded by four players from Greece, all of whom were attempting to distract him from his concentration.
Tobias Stieler, the referee, did everything in his power to keep the players away from the pitch, but McTominay was quickly confronted with yet another challenge.
An attempt was made to unsettle the 28-year-old by shining multiple lasers from the crowd into his eyes as he was getting ready to take the spot kick. This was a last-ditch effort to get him distracted.
On the other hand, his laser-sharp focus proved to be sufficient to overcome the obstacles that stood in his way, and he converted from the spot.
Fans of Scotland took to social media to express their disapproval of McTominay’s treatment, demonstrating that the incident did not escape their notice.
As McTominay took that penalty, a fan posed the following question: “How many lasers were in McTominay’s face there?”
Another supporter chimed in, saying, “I hope @UEFA are looking at the lasers that were shone at McTominay there.”
Another person expressed their anger by saying, “Laser pens were being shone at McTominay when he was taking the pen.” It was a really bad show.”
The laser pointers that are coming from the crowd are embarrassing, according to the fourth fan who wrote in.
One more supporter chimed in, asking, “Was it just me, or did anyone else see the green laser lights on McTominay’s body and face before he took the penalty?” It would be a disgrace if that were the case; the European Union Football Association ought to step in.
Steven Naismith, a former striker for Scotland who is now a pundit, was asked about the incident by the BBC. He stated, “The laser pens are brought out frequently there too (Italy), so Scotty was probably used to it.”
It was unfortunate for Greece that they were unable to find a way to equalise the score on the night, which means that they will have a difficult time overcoming the deficit in front of a boisterous Hampden crowd on Sunday. Greece made a valiant effort in the second half.
According to Clarke, who spoke to the media following his team’s victory in the first leg, “I was impressed by the Greeks and their away record is good.” When they travelled to Ireland, they were victorious there. After travelling to Finland, they were victorious with ease. They were victorious at Wembley Stadium. As a result, the game is still very much open.
Clarke stated, “I thought we were excellent in the first half; we played the ball around really well and created some chances.” Clarke was referring to the offence. There is a possibility that we could have been a little bit further ahead at the halftime break.
To be fair to the Greeks, they got around us and stopped us from playing during the second half of the game. We started going a little bit too long.
“And then you’re asked to defend – and we defended quite well. Our defence of the box was strong. Our six-yard box was subjected to a significant amount of pressure as a result of the numerous free kicks and corners that were taken into consideration.
However, Craig (Gordon) did not have a significant number of saves to make. Over the course of the second half, I believe they only had one shot that was on target. It is imperative that I acknowledge the outstanding defensive performance of my team during the second half of the game. However, there was a great deal to enjoy in the first half of the game.
“I didn’t see it,” Clarke joked when asked about his thoughts on the controversy surrounding the laser. I had a laser being shone in my eyes too!”
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