September 09, (THEWILL) – The Scottish national football team took a significant stride towards qualifying for Euro 2024 on Friday night, dispatching Cyprus 3-0 away from home to maintain their perfect record in the qualifying campaign.
Goals from Scott McTominay, Ryan Porteous and John McGinn, in the opening half hour, set Scotland on course for a comfortable victory in Larnaca. Manager, Steve Clarke, will be delighted with the clinical performance of his players, who could confirm their place at the Euros in Germany next summer with three matches remaining if results go their way on Tuesday next week.
Scotland face England in a friendly clash the same evening to commemorate 150 years since the first meeting between the sides. Yet, even if automatic qualification is not mathematically secured next week, Scotland appear almost certain to reach their first major tournament since the 1998 World Cup in France.
McTominay continued his goalscoring form at international level to move alongside Rasmus Hojlund and Romelu Lukaku as the leading scorers in Group A. Defender Porteous opened his Scotland account by finishing off a set piece routine, before McGinn applied the finishing touch to a superb team move for the third goal.
The second half was more subdued as the searing Cyprus heat took its toll, but the damage had already been done by the rampant Scots in the first half. Cyprus remain without a point from their four games to date and face an uphill battle to challenge for a playoff spot.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
