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Glasgow Live
Sport
Matthew Fulton

Rodri's Scotland outburst earns John McGinn and Andy Robertson classic response amid 'realism' vow

Rodri made himself the biggest villain in Scotland with a post-match outburst that has since brought on some stick for the Manchester City star.

The Spaniard was flailing after his side fell to a rampant Scotland who, under the tutelage of Steve Clarke, ended a 39-year wait for a win against La Roja on Tuesday to make it six points from six in the EURO 2024 qualifying campaign. To a man, Scotland were solid on the night but with more than a few flashpoints at the national stadium and Luis de la Fuente's men being irked by decisions from referees and the Scots display.

So much so the City midfielder took to his post-match comments to degrade the achievement of Clarke's men by claiming it was playing "rubbish" football, time-wasting and diving that won the day. Since there has been a wave of strong responses from Scotland's stars with captain Andy Robertson and John McGinn both having their say when quizzed.

READ MORE: Kieran Tierney tops Premier League stats chart as Celtic hero impresses with other ex-Parkhead star

Liverpool sensation Robertson insists anyone who watched the game would know Scotland deserved the win without question, while McGinn believes there was 'no chance' of Scotland going toe-to-toe with Spain in a Tiki-taka battle.

He told Sky Sports: "It was an excellent camp and we had a really good week leading into the two games. We knew that we were ready for the challenges ahead. Saturday and Tuesday were two completely different games.

"Tuesday speaks for itself, we had a belief within the squad and behind the scenes that we could get a result. It was about following the plan in place and I think we followed it pretty perfectly, to a man we were excellent, we won our individual battles and got the result we deserved.

"Anybody who watched the game couldn't really argue that. We limited Spain's chances and created a few ourselves, but it is only the start of the group and we have aims to get to the Euros, we've took the first step but there's plenty more to go."

McGinn added in a separate interview when quizzed on Rodri's comments: "I did see them. I don't really have a huge amount of reaction. I wasn't really sure that was something that could be targeted at us, falling about.

"Wasting time? Absolutely. If anyone expects us to go head-to-head with Spain in a Tiki-taka battle for 90 minutes and expects us to come away with three points, then there is absolutely no chance.

"I think everyone needs to get a bit of realism and realise that we need to find a way to beat Spain. We managed to do it. The grass is a bit long, the pitch was a bit sticky. But it's in Scotland, it's not in Spain. It's the benefits of being the home team.

"I thought we handled the game well, and maturely. Did we waste time a bit? Aye, absolutely because we were winning from an early point. Were we rolling about from challenges? Naw, we were the same as the Spain players. I don't really agree with that, but Spain are a top, top team and I'm sure they will be back."

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