Anthony Ralston overcame the impasse against Armenia with an impressive header
“To make my first start and score my first goal, I have to take a lot.”
With two more games in Scotland over the next six days, Anthony Ralston may not have time to stop at his impressive performance against Armenia.
But when the dust finally settles this marathon season, the 23-year-old can be very happy.
Having established himself as a regular player at Celtic, he may just be on the verge of doing the same for his country.
Ralston was in the middle of the action from the first referee signal of the rain-soaked Hampden, setting up two close ones for Stuart Armstrong and Andy Robertson before opening the scoring with a header from behind.
He continued to move up and down the right wing for 75 minutes, earning a standing ovation from Tartan’s army and the award for man of the match.
“I felt amazing,” he told Premier Sports immediately after the 2-0 victory in the League of Nations.
“I enjoyed every minute and I’m just happy to have contributed to the team.
“This is a very proud moment, my family and my little girl were here tonight, to stand there and sing the national anthem will live with me forever.
His goal fell in the 28th minute when he rose and scored a wonderful cross from Armstrong.
“I just tried to get in the back post, pointed it down and at the angle I was at, I didn’t know if it would work, but I could see it hit the net, so it was another proud moment,” he said. he in front of the television cameras.
“Every child’s dream is to play for his country, to score for his country, so to do that is very special.”
“Good night all”
Scott McKenna scored the second goal before the half, which was also his first for Scotland, and Nottingham Forest’s central defender could have celebrated a double with quick shots if VAR cameras didn’t catch his offside when he hit the ball over the line again just before the break.
“I had no real doubts about Tony because he plays for Celtic and they face opposition that sits and defends and makes it difficult for them,” said manager Steve Clark.
“I knew he would find the right position on the pitch and certainly when he scored, it was definitely the right position.
“Scott did well, I thought the whole three-pointer did well as one.
“If he hadn’t been so aspiring and half a step offside, he would have had a double tonight. It was a good evening for everyone.
“I think the key was just to keep up the pace, the pace of the game and keep looking for weaknesses, and we finally found them.
“We knew it would not be easy, they showed a little threat in counterattacks. This is a good result for us and hopefully it is the beginning of another series without a loss.”
Praise for the “outstanding leader” Robertson
The League of Nations has secured a path to Euro 2020 for Scotland and with the visit of the Republic of Ireland and Armenia next week, Clark wants to move on from the pain of last week’s World Cup playoffs to Ukraine, who are also in Group B1.
“It was important to refresh him,” said the manager of his six starting lineup changes. “It was also important for the boys who played last week and left again.
“I must mention the captain [Robertson], I thought it was exceptional. He was exceptional in the locker room before the match. He himself, John McGinn and Callum McGregor are the leaders to take us on the field for three good performances, but I thought the captain was exceptional.
“Just in general, as a captain, as a leader, that’s a role that Andy really grew up in. Sometimes he doesn’t quite get the mentions he might have to make, and captains are important at the moment.”
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