Lingering ‘hurt’ from World Cup defeat will motivate Scotland against Ukraine
Less than four months on from the Scots 3-1 defeat to Ukraine, the two sides will face-off in a Nations League fixture
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Stuart Armstrong admits lingering “hurt” from Scotland’s World Cup play-off defeat by Ukraine will provide a source of motivation when the two sides meet again in the Nations League on Wednesday.
The Scots were comprehensively beaten 3-1 at Hampden at the start of June as their hopes of making it to Qatar were ruthlessly ended by their visitors.
Less than four months on, they face each other again in a Nations League fixture in Glasgow.
“I think there’s definitely a level of hurt there from last time,” said Southampton midfielder Armstrong. “We knew what was at stake during that game.
“Obviously we’re disappointed following that so I think there will be a memory of that feeling going into this game. But also we want to win every game. We’ve got a lot to play for. The ultimate ambition is to win.”
The Scots also know that a win on Wednesday will lift them above Ukraine at the top of the Nations League group.
“That’s motivation enough,” Armstrong said, on the possibility of leapfrogging their visitors. “We know they’re a difficult opponent, we found that out last time. But equally, we know our own capabilities and the results we’ve had in the past show we’re also a very good team.”
Scotland ended 2021 with a six-game winning streak but they have won only two of their six matches so far this year.
Armstrong is hoping they can get themselves back on track by enjoying success in the current international window, which includes two games against Ukraine either side of a home game against Republic of Ireland.
“We can definitely take confidence from our previous performances over the last couple of campaigns,” he said. “We know we can finish strongly and also be consistent in our performances.
“At times in the past I think consistency has been an issue for Scotland but I think we have shown we can demonstrate that so there’s definitely a belief that we can find our form again and be more consistent.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments