John McGinn shared a photo of himself undergoing a drug test in isolation after Scotland qualified for the World Cup, and was unable to join his team-mates in celebrating for some time. The Aston Villa midfielder ended a 28-year drought with a dramatic win over Denmark, helping his country reach their first World Cup since 1998. The Scots scored two goals in stoppage time to beat the Danes 4-2, sparking euphoria in Glasgow.
When the final whistle rang, the players celebrated enthusiastically on the pitch. These celebrations continued into the dressing room, but McGuinn had to leave to complete a drug test. On Instagram, he posted a photo of himself looking straight at the girl while writing, “Drug test, no locker room, no writing.”
Kieran Tierney put Scotland in the lead with a stunning goal in the third minute of second-half stoppage time, and shortly after that Kenny McLean scored from inside his own half. Denmark were on the brink of an equaliser, but the Norwich City star spotted Kasper Schmeichel off his line and fired home, sparking celebration.
McGinn admitted after the win that he thought they were substandard, but not that he cared. “To be honest, I thought we were pretty scrappy, but it doesn’t matter. I thought Denmark, playing with 10 men, moved the ball a little better and looked a little more confident. We’ve had a lot of trauma as a Scottish team and we’ve been hit a lot. It feels great to get over the line.”
“The coach’s team talk before we left the hotel was special. It’s amazing what we’ve been through together as players and staff. It’s an honor every time we meet. They’re humble guys who want to do good for their country. You can see that every time they step on the pitch. There were some great goals, but we’re going to the World Cup. It’s unbelievable.”
Reflecting on the recent victory, Scotland manager Steve Clarke said: “It’s really simple. What a great group of players. It’s unbelievable. I’ve said that from the beginning. It may have taken us a year, maybe 18 months, to figure out the best way forward. To give myself a little credit, I took the right path.”
“We’ve got more caps, we’ve got more experience. On nights like this, when you’re behind and struggling and you don’t know what’s going to happen, I trust the players. I’ve told them many times and I trust them implicitly.”
“I woke up this morning. Normally, if you’re a manager, you wake up with a feeling of tightness in your stomach. I didn’t have that this morning, so I thought, ‘Wow, that’s weird.'” I thought there was something wrong with me! But that’s because I have a lot of faith in my players. ”
