It was an occasion on which Scotland dared not stumble. When Kieron Bowie smashed home in the seventh minute against the North Macedonian side, it was already clear that they would not, without the challenges they would seek. Bowie gave Sébastien Pocognoli his first goal as Scotland manager. Later, the Belgian confirmed his first victory. Anything else, against such a dismal level of opposition, would be worthy of considerable Scottish embarrassment.
John McGinn’s 22nd penalty for his country meant the scoreline at least reflected Scotland’s dominance. Only the late dispatch of Scott McKenna and his failure to reach the third, fourth or fifth row could upset Pocognoli. Scotland are alive and kicking in the B1 division of the Nations League, but know they will face much tougher challenges. Scotland had to be professional in North Macedonia and do the job well.
On the eve of Andy Robertson’s 100th cap, it appeared early on that the Tottenham defender has come under fire for his recent performances in Scotland. Robertson attacked at will, including within five minutes when Stole forced Dimitrievski into a fine save. McGinn, like Robertson, received some harsh words. McGinn’s response was as strong as his teammate’s.
Bowie gave Scotland a crucial early gap though. Jack Hendry’s red card in the opening stages of Tuesday’s defeat to Switzerland led to Bowie’s withdrawal from the Scotland attack. Pocognoli kept his faith in Bowie in Skopje. Bowie had plenty to do as he collected Billy Gilmour’s pass 25 yards from goal and with two defenders close at hand. He showed himself before unleashing a terrific left-footed strike beyond a helpless Dimitrievski.
McGinn’s sublime pass from right-back to Robertson, who was operating as a left-winger, should have secured Scotland’s second. Robertson elected to shoot and widened his shot when a square pass to Oli McBurnie was a more viable option. North Macedonia made two substitutions with just half an hour to play as Ben Gannon-Doak and Bowie missed chances.
The ruthlessness of Scotland worried them. Gannon-Doak cleared Dimitrievski within five minutes of the restart, but fired bravely at the keeper. Gannon-Doak and Scotland soon believed they had won a penalty, only for the video assistant referee to rightly point out that Matey Gashtarov was on his feet, not the other way around the Bournemouth player. North Macedonia held firm as Bowie tested Dimitrievski from close range.
Official circles soon began to smile on Scotland. McKenna was initially fouled by the referee as the centre-back brought the ball down to Bowie from a Scotland corner. Not only was the decision overturned, but Bojan Miovski was penalized for blocking Bowie’s shot with his arm. McGinn finished low and hard to tie this game as a contest. Only three players have scored more Scotland goals than the Aston Villa midfielder.
The half-time arrival of Ryan Christie added composure and creativity to the Scottish midfield. Pocognoli looks like an ideal candidate to coordinate the game in the final third. It will be a surprise if Christie does not start when Slovenia visit Glasgow on Tuesday. Angus Gunn, whose position as Scotland goalkeeper was questioned before this game, was of no consequence.
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McKenna will concede the trip to Slovenia six minutes from time after setting up Agon Elezi. The episode was judged as the denial of an obvious scoring opportunity. Robertson’s poor pass worried his teammate.
Robertson later admitted that he owed McKenna an apology before considering the cap phase. “It means everything to me and my family,” the 32-year-old said. “It’s been an incredible journey. It’s emotional for me because I love this country and it’s a special achievement. I believe I still have a lot to give.”
For Pocognoli, Scotland didn’t need 11 men to win. McGinn gave up the second half in the evening. North Macedonia, who have not scored in seven games, are in a desperate situation.