As if often the case with games that come with a surprise result, be it Leinster vs La Rochelle, Real vs Liverpool, or in this case Rep. of Ireland vs Scotland, the reaction to both side’s performances are often polar opposites.
We covered the joyous scenes of Irish fans and pundits celebrating following their emphatic 3-0 victory over Scotland yesterday. Now we bring you the rage of Scottish fans and the harsh words of their journalists after what they collectively felt was an all-round dismal showing from their side.
Ireland vs Scotland - The Reaction
Ross Pilcher of the Daily Record gifts us with his humorous and rather apt take on the Scottish players.
“The Tartan Army took over Dublin's famous Temple Bar area ahead of Scotland's Nations League clash against the Republic of Ireland, but it looked as if it was the players in dark blue who'd been sinking pints of the black stuff in the build up.”
For BBC Sport Tom English, rather than comparing the Scots to boozers in Temple Bar, likened the men to animals of the Serengeti.
"Watching Scotland getting eaten whole by a hungry Ireland team at the Aviva on Saturday summoned up an image from one of those David Attenborough programmes, where the cocksure wildebeest wanders into the wrong part of the Serengeti only to be pounced on by a ravenous lion.
"Scotland entered a den and they weren't ready for it. The scale of the failure took the breath away. There wasn't one redeeming feature, which deepens the confusion.
"How could so many play so badly at the same time? Maybe their heads weren't right in the first place. Maybe they thought that Ireland, with their lamentable home record, couldn't hurt them, but they would have been disabused of that notion very quickly."
11 June 2022; Rep of Ireland vs Scotland: Jason Knight is tackled by Ryan Christie of Scotland during the UEFA Nations League B group 1 match between Republic of Ireland and Scotland at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Some were comparing the loss to their defeat to Kazakhstan during Euro 2020 qualification, a game whose memory would send depression and cold sweats to any Scottish supporter.
Alan Pattullo of The Scotsman makes such a comparison, which arguably says as much about Ireland's fall from grace as it does about Scotland's.
"The hosts had already equalled their entire Nations League goal output. It might stand as the worst opening half from Scotland since the infamous defeat in Kazakhstan that derailed the regulation qualifying campaign for Euro 2020 when it had barely started."
While the pundits and writers clearly didn't hold back, they could not hold a candle to the fury of Scottish fans who took to Twitter to vent their rage.
While the players certainly felt their wrath, it was manager Steve Clarke who took the brunt of the assault.
This @ScotlandNT are embarrassing today
McGinn - done nothing
Adams - done nothing
Robertson - nothing
Hanlay- terrible
McTominay- terrible
Manager - wrong team, wrong tactics— Will Callison (@Will6118) June 11, 2022
Up there with one of the most horrific scotland performances I’ve had the burden of witnessing
— Colin McDonald (@Hobbittoo) June 11, 2022
83' | Chance for Scotland, as the ball finds Ross Stewart in space inside the box, but it's deflected out for a corner.
🇮🇪 3-0 🏴— Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) June 11, 2022
SEE ALSO: Ireland vs Scotland: MOTM Michael Obafemi Shows His Class Off The Field With Brilliant Post Match Interview
