Painful, dispiriting and unexpected… don’t pretend Nations League relegation doesn’t matter

You could play an entire Nations League campaign in the time it would take to explain its intricacies and multi-layered structure to a newcomer.

UEFA’s brainchild, introduced to give countries more competitive fixtures in lieu of a slew of meaningless friendlies, is now in its fourth edition and far from straightforward in its design.

Just don’t say, though, that it doesn’t matter. That much was laid bare throughout 90 minutes of agony at Hampden as Scotland battled it out with Greece for a berth in League A when the next iteration of this peculiar yet pivotal tournament gets under way in 18 months’ time.

That honour will go to the Greeks who proved far too strong on the night and capitalised mercilessly on Scotland’s shortcomings.

It ended up being far more one-sided than anyone could have predicted following the tightly contested first leg in Piraeus and the intensity of the build-up ahead of this return match. This was a tie that clearly mattered to those supporters who had journeyed out to the national stadium.

The boos that greeted the half-time whistle — with Greece two goals to the good — revealed the depth of feeling among a disgruntled Tartan Army.

Giannis Konstantelios celebrates with his team-mates after putting Greece ahead at Hampden

 A third goal, just 15 seconds into the restart before many had even returned to their seats, only served to augment the misery, while the jeering at full-time was imbued with shock as much as anger. 

Few had seen this coming, so much emotional investment for so little return for those dispirited home fans.

Scotland were below par for much of the contest but the importance of the occasion didn’t seem lost on their players during a bright opening spell that faded demonstrably when Giannis Konstantelias put the Greeks in front, a strike that served as the game’s turning point.

You only had to witness John McGinn and Billy Gilmour thundering into a pair of bone-shuddering tackles within a matter of seconds of each other and John Souttar launching himself to clear another goal-bound effort off the line to appreciate how committed they were to this particular task, even if Scotland’s inadequacies would soon be exposed in brutal fashion.

That Italian referee Davide Massa was moved to replace the matchball three times was another sign of the battering it had been given in a rambunctious contest. Nobody was holding back in this one but only one team was able to match that commitment with the requisite craft and composure.

It clearly mattered, too, to the members of the travelling Greek media who roared in delight at each of their nation’s goals and thumped the press box desk in frustration on the rare occasion that the visitors coughed up possession.

The Greek objective might have been no more than sealing promotion to the Nations League top tier but that was evidently enough of an incentive for travelling players and supporters alike.

Perhaps most of all, this one mattered to Clarke. Back in November when it was put to the Scotland manager that dropping down to the second tranche of Nations League teams might not be the worst outcome for a team toiling for form at that time, he reacted as if someone had spat in his porridge.

Midfielder John McGinn was fully committed to a task that proved to be too much for Scotland

‘Why would you want to drop down?’ he had retorted defiantly. ‘Because you think you’re inferior? We’ve worked ever so hard to get to this level so we want to stay there as long as we can. So that’s always got to be your aim — to play at the highest level possible.’

Scotland will need to slum it in League B now following this setback that was as painful as it was unexpected. 

Following Clarke’s team has been like riding a rollercoaster, lots of twists and turns and at the end of it you’re sometimes left feeling somewhat nauseous.

The impression in recent months was that this was a squad that had finally shaken off the anguish of their wretched Euro 2024 campaign and insipid start to this Nations League and was now trending upwards. 

A draw with Portugal, followed by wins over Croatia, Poland and this same Greece team just three days earlier were all seemingly signs that Scotland were at last moving in the right direction. 

They might not belong among the upper echelons of world football but they could at least live with those ranked higher than them on a one-off basis.

This, then, was the most damning of reality checks, a timely reminder that progression is never linear and that Scotland are still a team riddled with insecurities and flaws. 

That it was Greece, just six places above them in the rankings, who delivered this lesson ought to be a cause for concern, especially with the countries set to do battle again later in the year in the World Cup qualifying competition.

Those with their glasses half-full will say that’s the tournament that really matters, that the Nations League is an artificial UEFA creation of little significance. It didn’t feel that way, however, at Hampden, not to the jubilant Greeks nor the crestfallen Scots. It clearly mattered a lot to both.