[Sport] Jovic's goal is not worth Serbia: Scotland completes 24 qualifiers for the Euro

[#Steeven.™]

Steve Clarke has accomplished what Berti Vogts, Tommy Burns, Walter Smith, Alex McLeish, George Burley, Craig Levein, Billy Stark, Gordon Strachan and Malky Mackay have failed to do in recent years: lead Scotland to a great tournament.

The 'Tartan Army', which had just won Israel (0-0) on penalties, defeated Serbia (1-1) -also in the fateful round- in the final of League C of the Nations League and will play the Euro 2020. He will accompany, in Group D, England, Croatia and the Czech Republic. Ryan Christie (52 ') put Steve Clarke in front and Luka Jovic (90') forced extra time. On penalties, Marshall stopped Mitrovic the fifth and final to get the ticket for the Euro.

Scotland thus ends 22 years of 'crossing the desert'. He did not play a World Cup since France '98 and a European Championship from England '96. Serbia, for its part, has not gone to a Euro since 2000, when it still came under the name of Yugoslavia.

In the game there was more fear of losing than chances. The first half can be summed up in a shot by Lukic that skimmed the post in the 23rd minute. The second began with a heads-up that Andy Robertson sent to the skies at 51 '.

Ryan Christie did not immediately forgive. The omnipresent McGregor intercepted a bad pass from Kostic on the way out and Celtic's '9' beat Rajkovic with a low shot and crossed to the strain of the post. He's in good shape: he has scored in his last three appearances for Scotland.

Serbia, who entered Real Madrid player Luka Jovic for Maksimovic in the 70th minute, reacted with a header. They all came to the center of the recently admitted Mladenovic and they all went out ... almost. Milinkovic-Savic finished touching the post in 70 ', Mitrovic did the same in 77' and Jovic himself 'emulated' them in 85 '.

 

Jovic ended 277 days of drought
The story changed in 90 ', when the game was dying. Jovic got rid of McTominay's mark at the exit of a corner and headed the squad. Impossible to imagine a better scenario to end 277 days of drought: he had not scored since February 9 in an Osasuna-Real Madrid (1-4). To find his last goal with the national team, he has to go back more than a year: he achieved it on June 10, 2019 against Lithuania (4-1).

In extra time, two shots from Katai and Gudelj that skimmed the post were hardly worth mentioning. The last of the 24 teams qualified for the Euro would be decided by penalties. They all scored - Griffiths, Tadic, McGregor, Jovic, McTominay, Gudelj, McBurnie, Katai and McLean - until the final and final was reached. At that instant, Marshall saved Mitrovic's penalty. Scotland will play the Euro.