Scotland’s patched-up defensive wall refused to buckle as Steve Clarke and his players dug deep to claim the point they craved in a tension-filled goalless draw against Ukraine in the Nations League.
Debutant Ryan Porteous passed his international test with flying colours as he played a starring role in helping Scotland across the finish line in a nerve-shredding 90 minutes in Krakow.
Scotland were down to the bare bones defensively on a night when promotion to the A level of the Nations League, elevation to the second seeds for next month’s Euro 2024 qualifying draw and a play-off place for the finals in two years’ was at stake.
It would be wrong to say it was comfortable night for Scotland but given how much his hand was forced in having to fashion three different back fours in the space of a week.
The focus in the build-up to the final qualifier centred around who would fill the gaps in the Scottish defence following the absence of several regulars due to injury.
Andy Robertson, Kieran Tierney, Nathan Patterson and Scott McKenna were all injured while Scott McTominay was suspended for the vital match in Poland.
It was Hibernian’s Porteous, the man deemed the villain of the piece by Aberdeen manager Jim Goodwin following his theatrics the Dons’ 3-1 loss at Easter Road before the international break, who was the surprise inclusion.
It was a massive vote of confidence from Steve Clarke to hand Porteous his international debut in a game of this magnitude.
But in all honesty who would have predicted a back four of Aaron Hickey, Porteous, Jack Hendry and Greg Taylor taking to the field for this one?
The fact they had done so with all of two days of preparation made their efforts for the cause all the more admirable and every one of those picked to play at the back delivered when it mattered most.
Baptism of fire for new-look backline
It was as untried and untested as it gets, and the early signs were far from encouraging as Andriy Yarmolenko blazed over the crossbar as he squandered a great chance to give Ukraine an early lead.
"That should have been 1-0 without a doubt!" 😬
A let-off for @ScotlandNT as Andriy Yarmolenko blazes over the bar from 6 yards! #UKRSCO pic.twitter.com/M6YCZMGFO5
— Premier Sports (@PremierSportsTV) September 27, 2022
That early chance aside, the opening 20 minutes was relatively straightforward for the makeshift back four, to the point new father Craig Gordon did not have a save to make.
But that soon changed.
Even a well-drilled defence would be tested by Ukraine at some point though so it came as no surprise to see this hastily assembled one breached midway through the first half.
Yarmolenko’s terrific defence-splitting pass sent Artem Dovbyk clear on goal but Gordon did brilliantly to deny the striker.
With the pressure building Porteous misjudged a corner but Taras Stepanenko was unable to take advantage as he headed wide.
But given the clear-cut chances for the ‘home’ side in Krakow there must have been a collective sigh of relief on the Scottish bench to reach the break still on level terms.
The respite was brief, however, as within a couple of minutes of the second period played Gordon was called into action again to make another outstanding save to deny Mykhailo Mudryk.
It was heart-in-mouth stuff at times but with each passing minute you could see the Scottish defence grow in confidence.
An outstanding effort not just from those who featured in Poland but from a squad which has been tested to the full in the last week.
