Football
Scotland boss Steve Clarke provides devastating Kieran Tierney injury update after Switzerland draw
Scotland boss Steve Clarke has revealed Kieran Tierney is ‘definitely out’ of his side’s Euro 2024 clash with Hungary on Sunday after the defended was stretchered out of their 1-1 draw with Switzerland.
The 27-year-old was forced off the field in the second half and looked devastated after going down clutching his hamstring after goals from Scott McTominay and Xherdan Shaqiri.
Tierney has had injury issues galore in recent years.
And Clarke has now confirmed the full-back, who spent last season at Real Sociedad on loan from Arsenal, is ‘definitely out’ as they look ahead to Sunday’s crunch clash with Hungary.
Scotland defender Kieran Tierney was stretchered out of his side’s 1-1 Euro 2024 draw with Switzerland on Wednesday night
REUTERS
“Definitely out,” he said. “It looks pretty bad. We have to assess it but Kieran won’t make the next game.
“He’s a top player for us. Does ever so well. It’s a shame but someone else has got to step in and step up to the mark.”
Prior to the clash, Clarke had called on his Scotland players to show fight.
They were shambolic against Germany on matchday one, with the hosts winning 5-1 on a straightforward night at the Allianz Arena.
Clarke was, however, left pleased by their response to that chastening defeat.
“It was nice to see them. We didn’t turn up in the first game. We’re a good team when we play,” he said.
“We didn’t get on the front foot at all against Germany. We sat back too much.
“Tonight we were determined to make sure we went pressing, went after the ball. We played two of the players a little bit higher up the pitch to try and get that early press and it worked tonight against a very good Switzerland team.”
Scotland defender Anthony Ralston was at fault for Shaqiri’s goal.
The Celtic star misplaced a backpass, with Shaqiri then finishing expertly past Angus Gunn.
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Yet Clarke has defended Ralston and believes the 25-year-old was unlucky the ball fell to a player as talented as Shaqiri.
“Heart-breaking moment [for Anthony Ralston] but it happens in football,” he continued. “If it falls to any other Swiss players, I don’t think they score.
“If it falls to Xherdan Shaqiri, you know where the ball’s going to end up. We get harshly punished for a small mistake but we responded.
“We stayed in the game, we worked hard, we created our own chances. Switzerland are a good team, they created their chances.
“We always knew that the points we require would come from these two games. We’ve got one point now, that means we have a chance going into the last game to get three points.
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Scotland boss Steve Clarke has revealed Kieran Tierney is set to miss Hungary match through injury after being forced out of Switzerland draw
REUTERS
“I believe if we get those three points, we go to the next stage.”
Scotland goalkeeper Gunn, meanwhile, was happy with the performance and revealed they’ll give their all as they look to make the knockout stages of Euro 2024 this summer.
“Everything in the game from the start was 10 times better from the game on Friday night – our intensity, pressing the ball, our aggression, winning the ball high up,” he said.
“That really set us off at the start of the game. The lads managed to keep it going for 90 minutes.
“Getting the goal in the first half was good. I thought it was a pretty even second half and probably could’ve gone either way. We’ll take it to the last game in the end.
Scotland drew 1-1 with Switzerland in their Euro 2024 clash on Wednesday night
REUTERS
“Personally, I was hurting after the game on Friday night, didn’t feel like I had done myself justice. A lot of the boys in the dressing room felt like that as well.
“That was the motivation for today – to come out, show what we’re all about and I think everyone to a man done that today.”
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