Scotland remain third after Slovenia comeback prompts Robertson criticism

Scotland remained third in Nations League Group B1 after losing 2-1 to Slovenia at Hampden Park in Glasgow on Tuesday, 6 October. Captain Andy Robertson said his side had been outfought, while head coach Sébastien Pocognoli acknowledged shortcomings in a defeat that leaves Scotland with two group matches to play. A win would have moved them into second place, according to Sky Sports.

Ryan Christie gave Scotland a first-half lead, but Aljosa Matko equalised and Danijel Sturm scored Slovenia’s winner after the break. The result ended Pocognoli’s first international window with one victory from four matches, according to Sky Sports, and kept him waiting for his first win at Hampden Park.

How Slovenia overturned Scotland’s lead

Christie scored in the 31st minute after Jack Hendry’s header struck the post, according to the Scottish Football Association’s match report. Scotland had opportunities to extend their advantage, but Slovenia had threatened before the opener too: Hendry cleared a goalbound attempt by Adam Gnezda Cerin, and Robertson later blocked Zan Vipotnik’s shot. Those chances meant the half-time lead offered Scotland little security.

Sturm played Matko through for the equaliser in the 57th minute. The two combined again in the 71st, this time with Matko setting up Sturm to put Slovenia ahead. Scotland sought a response, but the Scottish FA said two penalty appeals were reviewed and rejected. Slovenia’s comeback turned a possible move up the table into another home defeat for the new coach.

Robertson and Pocognoli respond to the defeat

Robertson’s assessment went beyond the score. The captain said Scotland had been ‘outfought’ and that Slovenia looked ‘a lot fresher, a lot more hungry’, according to the Guardian’s match report. His comments placed the team’s effort alongside its play as a concern after Slovenia took control in the second half. Robertson had earned his 100th Scotland cap during the preceding win in North Macedonia.

Pocognoli said Scotland ‘didn’t play the game we wanted to’ and were below the level expected of them. ‘I will not say everything is perfect or everything is bad but we need to improve many things,’ he said, according to the Guardian. Sky Sports also reported that the coach saw positive parts of the four-game camp, even as he accepted the need to improve after the Slovenia match.

Midfielder Christie called the defeat frustrating and said Scotland had not created enough with their possession, Sky Sports reported. His view reflects an attacking problem visible in the outcome: Scotland scored first but could not add a second goal, then failed to recover once Slovenia went ahead. Christie also said the squad would return for the November matches.

What the first four matches show

Scotland began Pocognoli’s tenure with a scoreless draw away to Slovenia. They then lost 3-0 at home to Switzerland before beating North Macedonia 2-0 in Skopje, the coach’s first win. Tuesday’s return meeting with Slovenia completed a four-match opening stretch in which Scotland won once. The two games against Slovenia produced one point and one Scottish goal.

The Guardian’s match report described Scotland as defensively disorganised against Slovenia and noted that Pocognoli switched to a back four during the second half. Its subsequent analysis questioned whether his preferred three-defender system and high press fit the squad, including the use of winger Ben Gannon-Doak at right wing-back. Those are assessments of the performances so far, rather than proof that the approach cannot work over a longer period.

Scotland’s earlier defeat by Switzerland also came in different circumstances: Jack Hendry was sent off early in that match, according to Sky Sports. Taken together, the results establish a difficult opening window, while the reasons for each performance differ. The November fixtures will provide the next evidence of how Pocognoli’s side responds to Robertson’s criticism and the coach’s own call for improvement.

Scotland’s remaining Nations League fixtures

Scotland are scheduled to host North Macedonia on 13 November and visit Switzerland on 16 November, according to the Scottish FA. Those matches will determine where they finish in Group B1. For now, the confirmed position is third: Tuesday’s defeat left them behind Slovenia after a match in which they led at half-time and conceded twice in 14 second-half minutes.