Scotland fans will ‘be proud’ despite ‘sickener’ – John McGinn

Scotland midfielder John McGinn believes the latest international camp was beneficial, despite two defeats that extend a dismal run of results.

Steve Clarke’s side started their Nations League Group A1 campaign with losses to Poland and Portugal and have now won just one of their last 14 games – 2-0 against minnows Gibraltar in June.

Performances improved from the summer’s disappointing Euros, with the likes of attacking midfielders Ryan Gauld and Ben Doak given their debuts, and McGinn says, if Scotland continue to show the same “desire and commitment”, much-needed wins will follow.

“A sickener at the end, but much more like us in terms of performance, desire, commitment,” the Aston Villa midfielder said after Cristiano Ronaldo’s late goal earned Portugal a 2-1 win in Lisbon.

“The supporters wanted a reaction from the summer. I’m sure they’ll be proud of us tonight, even though it’s another defeat.

“We’re not proud of the run we’re on, but performances like tonight will get us there in the end.

“We’ve learned a lot over these two games. This camp was about getting back together, trying to build something a bit fresh. I know the starting XI wasn’t as fresh as people thought, but these boys are getting experience.”