There were huge celebrations in Glasgow on Tuesday night as Scotland qualified for their first World Cup since 1998, but John McGinn was briefly sent off.
John McGinn was unable to celebrate with his team-mates after posting a selfie of himself undergoing a drug test shortly after Scotland was confirmed for the World Cup.
The Aston Villa star ended a 28-year wait with a sensational win over Denmark, helping his country qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1998. The Scots scored twice in stoppage time to beat the Danes 4-2, sparking jubilation in Glasgow.
The players celebrated enthusiastically on the pitch at full team time. The celebration was felt in the dressing room, but McGinn had to leave to undergo a drug test.
On Instagram, he shared a photo of himself staring straight in the face while writing, “Drug test, no locker room, no writing.”
Kieran Tierney put Scotland in the lead in the third minute of stoppage time with a superb goal, and a few minutes later Kenny McLean scored from inside his own half. Denmark were looking for an equaliser, but Norwich City’s star spotted Kasper Schmeichel off his line and fired home to start the party.
read more: Danish star rants about Scott McTominay in live X-rated interviewread more: Sir Alex Ferguson’s comments on Scott McTominay speak volumes after Scotland’s heroics
McGinn claimed after his success that he thought they were substandard but didn’t care. “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.”
Steve Clarke, who led Scotland to back-to-back Euros, added of his recent achievements: “It’s simple, really. What a great group of players. It’s unbelievable. I’ve said that from the beginning. It took 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. ”
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