Man Utd man keeps hopes alive

Scotland kept their hopes of reaching the Euro 2024 knockout rounds alive with a 1-1 draw against Switzerland on Wednesday. 

The Tartan Army needed a response after their 5-1 thrashing to Germany last week and got just that, with Scott McTominay opening the scoring after just 13 minutes with help from a Fabian Schar deflection.

Unfortunately, the lead lasted only 13 minutes, with Xherdan Shaqiri dispatching a stunning effort beyond Angus Gunn from outside the area after a cheap Anthony Ralston giveaway.

From there, both sides exchanged chances to win the game, but each will be happy to walk away with a point.

Steve Clarke’s men know a win over Hungary in the final group match will leave them almost certain to reach the round of 16, while it’d take a disastrous turn of events to see Switzerland exit from here.

Here are the full player ratings from Cologne.

Scotland vs Switzerland player ratings

Scotland (3-4-2-1)

Angus Gunn – 7/10 – Could do nothing about Shaqiri’s goal. Gave Scotland fans a few more terrifying moments, but did make up for it with a couple of vital saves.

Jack Hendry – 6/10 – A few sloppy moments with the ball but looked far better defensively than he did against Germany.

Grant Hanley – 8/10 – Solid as a rock defensively, silencing the doubters who said he hasn’t played enough football recently to start. Provided a real set-piece threat and was desperately unlucky hitting the post shortly after the hour mark.

Kieran Tierney – 6/10 – A mixed evening with some vital interventions alongside dangerous mistakes. A very worrying sight seeing him stretchered off in the second half given his importance to Scotland.

Anthony Ralston – 4/10 – Hot and cold all night but was punished severely by Shaqiri for a cheap giveaway. In fairness to him, he recovered well from there.

Callum McGregor – 8/10 – Provided the assist for McTominay’s goal and looked much more comfortable with the technically gifted Gilmour next to him.

Billy Gilmour – 7/10 – Started the counter-attack for Scotland’s goal and added some much-needed craft and composure to Clarke’s midfield.

Andy Robertson – 7/10 – Offered all the intensity and energy you’d expect of a Scotland captain. A little frustrating with his set-piece delivery, often following up a peach of a cross by hitting the first man, but still provided a good threat.

Scott McTominay – 8/10 – Grabbed the opening goal with a deflected strike and was Scotland’s biggest threat throughout. Worked very hard without the ball to keep this talented Swiss side at bay.

John McGinn – 6/10 – Unusually subdued compared to his teammates, often reduced to providing space for others or getting into physical battles. Put in the hard yards nevertheless.

Che Adams – 6/10 – Had very little service to go on but held the ball up well and battled hard against the Swiss centre-backs.

Substitutes:

Scott McKenna (61′, for Tierney) – 6/10 – Got the job done.

Kenny McLean (23′, for Gilmour) – 6/10 – Looked composed.

Lawrence Shankland (90′, for Adams) – No time to get into the game.

Ryan Christie (90′, for McGinn) – N/A – As above.

Switzerland (3-4-2-1)

Yann Sommer – 6/10 – Had McTominay’s effort for the goal covered until Schar put his boot on the ball. Did fine otherwise.

Fabian Schar – 7/10 – Cannot be blamed for the goal, he had to do something. Was solid otherwise.

Manuel Akanji – 8/10 – Got the job done defensively and was typically tidy on the ball. Made a vital interception at the end to stop McTominay getting on the end of Robertson’s cross for a winner.

Ricardo Rodriguez – 7/10 – Got through a lot of defensive work. Lost out in the air a couple of times but fine otherwise.

Silvan Widmer – 5/10 – Struggled to influence the game in attack and looked a little lost when Scotland broke.

Granit Xhaka – 6/10 – A bit of a comedown from his performance against Hungary, but was still the key man in conducting Switzerland in possession.

Remo Freuler – 6/10 – Provided a decent defensive platform to try and free up Xhaka. Replaced for the slightly more progressive Sierro when Switzerland went hunting for a winner.

Michel Aebischer – 6/10 – A few flashes of quality but just didn’t have the same effect he did against Hungary.

Xherdan Shaqiri – 8/10 – Can’t quite keep up the intensity for as long nowadays but remains ruthlessly effective in small bursts. Levelled the scores with a stunning first-time effort from outside the area and was always probing. Always turns up in the big tournaments for Switzerland.

Ruben Vargas – 5/10 – A couple of dangerous moments with his trickery but lacked final product and composure.

Dan Ndoye – 7/10 – Was a menace all night with his pace but marked down slightly for missing a great chance one-on-one with Gunn, who made a great save.

Substitutes:

Breel Embolo (60′, for Shaqiri) – 6/10 – No winning touch this time and didn’t truly get going, but still looked a menace with his pace.

Fabian Rieder (75′, for Vargas) – 7/10 – Looked lively and creative from the bench.

Vincent Sierro (75′, for Freuler) – 7/10 – Got stuck in to help Switzerland take what should be a qualifying point.

Leonidas Stergiou (86′, for Widmer) – 5/10 – Didn’t get into the game.

Zeki Amdouni (86′, for Ndoye) – 4/10 – Missed a great chance late on with a free header.