Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney has spoken of the ‘horrible day’ he suffered having watched his Scotland teammates fall to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of the Czech Republic in Euro 2020.
The Scots opened their campaign with a loss - a game in which the Arsenal defender was not able to play a part in due to a minor injury.
He could also potentially miss tomorrow’s huge showdown with England at Wembley Stadium. Tierney has since spoken of the immense frustration and sadness he experienced having missed the opening match of the tournament.
Speaking to The Guardian, he said: “I was gutted. I was so down. I stayed back and did rehab work. I was just so flat that day.
“I stayed back here trying to get fit for Friday and it was the longest day. It was a horrible day. Watching the anthem was amazing but what I was feeling inside was terrible. I wanted to be there so much.
“I wanted to help the boys out, wanted them to do so well and not being able to help was hard to take. I was just in my room. I had to do rehab all day and took an hour or two off just to watch the game.”
The absence of the 24-year-old was certainly felt by his teammates as Scotland never managed to quite get up to speed against the Czech Republic but Tierney insists he was rocked more than most.
“I probably felt ten times worse than everyone, honestly,” he continued. “That’s what you need to deal with in football. You get ups and downs. This was a down. I need to count myself lucky: there are a lot worse things going on and a lot worse things that can happen. I’m just doing my best to be fit for Friday night.”
Having also experienced his fair share of injury issues since joining Arsenal from Celtic, the left-back also admitted his frustration at having seen that potentially continue.
He added: “It’s just so unlucky because I worked so hard to get back from my knee injury. I came back quickly after that, played a few games. I don’t know if those few games caught up with me and I just got a wee niggle. That’s all it is, just a niggle. It’s touch and go.”
