
Steve Clarke says Scotland have ‘lots to improve’ after defeat to France
Steve Clarke has told his Scotland players to “stop this run” of defeats next month after losing 4-1 to France in Lille. The Scots went into the friendly knowing they had qualified for the 2024 European Championships after Spain beat Norway at the weekend to ensure a top-two finish in Group A. Scotland had lost 2-0 to Spain last week on the back of a 3-1 loss to England at Hampden Park in the 150th Heritage Anniversary match and the French were even classier. Clarke made eight changes from Seville – goalkeepers Liam Kelly and Zander Clark played a half each on their debuts. Scotland stunned the home side when midfielder Billy Gilmour guided in the opener after 11 minutes – his first ever senior goal. However, France defender Benjamin Pavard scored two headers, skipper Kylian Mbappe added a third from the spot before the break after a VAR intervention saw referee Tobias Stieler judge Scotland defender Liam Cooper had held Olivier Giroud and substitute Kingsley Coman hammered in a fourth. After victory in their first five Euro qualifiers, Scotland have lost three in a row and Clarke wants to get that winning feeling back in the final two qualifiers against Georgia next month before the final game against Norway. He said: “We can take away the memory of the qualification but we lost two games in the camp. “We don’t like losing. I don’t want them to be comfortable losing or happy to lose. We have lost three in a row now and I have asked them to make sure that when we got to Georgia that we stop this run Steve Clarke “We spoke about that after the game. It is important we set our standards higher than that. “We have lost three in a row now and I have asked them to make sure that when we got to Georgia that we stop this run. “We want to finish on the same points as Spain so the target is to finish with 21 point which will make it a good campaign.” Clarke, who was “happy” with his team selection, acknowledged the superiority of the home side. He said: “I thought we started the game really well, the first 15 minute was good and we got ourselves in front. “To concede a goal from a corner was disappointing because we know France can score from open play and we try not to give goals away from set plays. “The third goal – I don’t think VAR should have got involved in the decision, it was soft and when the referee goes there he has to be strong to stick with his original decision. “Both players were at it and that takes the game away from us. “The second half was OK but France are always a threat with their pace and power and quality. “So lots to learn, lots to improve. We know we are not at that level yet. “It is level we are going to strive to get to and the harder we strive the better team we will be.” After sealing qualification to Euro 2024 with a 2-1 win over the Netherlands on Friday, France boss Didier Deschamps was happy to finish the camp off with a convincing win He said: “It was a very good week, When you win you are always happy. “The most important thing was against the Netherlands on Friday night and the fact that we have shown so much quality tonight as well, it is a great satisfaction for us. “We created lots of chances against a team that can defend pretty well and has a lot of qualities. So we are very happy.” Read More Michael O’Neill wants Shea Charles to learn from dismissal on frustrating night Republic of Ireland heading in the right direction – striker Callum Robinson Scotland come back to earth as France recover from early fright Shea Charles dismissed as Northern Ireland lose at home to Slovenia Jordan Henderson has ‘no regrets’ over Saudi Arabia move despite being booed Rassie Erasmus expects England to have ‘some beef’ with South Africa
2023-10-18 06:19

Why LeBron James is considering retiring from the NBA after 20 seasons
Why LeBron James is considering retiring from the NBA after 20 seasons
2023-05-31 02:55

Fortnite Dragon Ball Crossover Confirmed, Launch Date Revealed
The rumors were true. Fortnite's Dragon Ball Z crossover has finally been confirmed. Here's what we know.
1970-01-01 08:00

How tall is Pokimane? Exploring Twitch queen's height compared to rumored boyfriend Kevin Kim
Pokimane's height has sparked interest among fans with comparisons to fellow streamer and rumored boyfriend
2023-08-17 19:37

London Stock Exchange Sees Income Growth at High End of Range
London Stock Exchange Group Plc expects income growth for the year to reach the upper end of its
2023-08-03 14:26

Sunak Was Warned of Health Risk Posed by UK Migrant Barge Plan
UK health authorities and civil servants repeatedly warned Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government about the potential for an
2023-08-15 00:31

Bellingham inspired by Scotland's national anthem boo boys
Jude Bellingham said the booing of the English national anthem by Scotland fans helped inspire the Three Lions to a 3-1...
2023-09-13 05:35

Marketmind: Fitch puts US on watch; will it matter in Washington?
A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Sonali Desai. The U.S. debt ceiling saga continues
2023-05-25 12:33

3 Jets who earned a roster spot in preseason play, and 1 on verge of being cut
The New York Jets are pressed to make critical cuts to create their 53-man roster, and based on preseason play, here are the projected futures for four different Jets.
2023-08-30 03:47

Tennis-Gutsy Australia see off Czechs to make Davis Cup semi-finals
MALAGA (Reuters) -Last year's runners-up Australia powered into the semi-finals of the Davis Cup with a battling 2-1 win over
2023-11-23 06:33

Inter stand in way of Man City's treble chance in Champions League final
Manchester City are huge favourites heading into Saturday's Champions League final against Inter Milan in Istanbul as Pep Guardiola's side aim to finally get their hands on the greatest prize in European...
2023-06-09 10:09

Injured Woods to miss British Open
Tiger Woods will miss next month's British Open at the Royal Liverpool course as the American...
2023-06-17 02:25
You Might Like...

Yankees have comically bad timing on latest bobblehead giveaway

Vikings rookie bags two touchdowns as Niners stumble again

Microsoft’s new AI tool cleans up messy backgrounds in video calls

Google Chrome is getting a redesign. See how it will change.

Severe floods in China's northern province killed 29 and caused tens of billions of economic losses

Secret Deals With Russia Help Kim Jong Un Fund Nuclear Program

India's government faces no-confidence vote over ethnic clashes

Spotify to lay off 200 workers in podcast division