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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
Sport
David Irvine

John McGinn insists Scotland win 'near enough impossible' as Spain ref blasted

John McGinn insists it was "near enough impossible" for Scotland to beat Spain with the big decisions going in the opposite direction in Seville.

The midfielder was left furious over referee Serdar Gözübüyük's decision to rule out Scott McTominay's strike and then wave away appeals for a penalty for a foul on Che Adams.

McGinn even stated that the referee changed his mind over the reason for McTominay's strike being ruled out after a VAR check from a foul to offside.

"The big moments went against us," he said on Viaplay. "It is very difficult to win here but under the circumstances, it was near enough impossible.

"You need to be very careful what you say. I think everyone watching that from a Scotland point of view, it just felt like we weren't getting a decision. It made it extremely difficult against a world-class opposition.

"You need a perfect performance here to win and everything to align and tonight it was just never going to happen."

On BBC he continued: "It's tough to take, what a shift we had put in.

"It' wasn't nice to defend like that and graft like that...they are a world-class team and you need a perfect performance to win here.

"It just felt like no matter what we tried, we competed but those 50/50 decisions just weren't going for us.

"I think every Scottish person whether they were back home or here would be frustrated watching that.

"Then the goal, you think you have got a goal to qualify - an absolutely unbelievable strike from Scotty, no keeper in the world is saving that.

"The referee decides that it's a foul, and he then changes it in play to decide it is offside, so I'm not sure how clear that is.

"That's the thing that stings really. You can take a team like Spain picking you apart.

"We get the free-kick, we get the big moment, we score. I've watched it back, Jack's right leg is offside but it's very, very harsh."

And McGinn was in no doubt that Scotland should have had a route back into the match from the spot for a foul from Aymeric Laporte on Adams but play was waved on.

He added: "I can't remember when the penalty shout was but that was an absolute stonewaller, every day of the week.

"I cannot believe that wasn't given. 

"We are angry and disappointed. Our game plan was working to a tee and those big decisions kind of went against us."

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