Scotland head coach Sebastien Pocognoli was left hoping his first match at Hampden Park would be viewed in a different light later on after his side fell to a 3-0 Nations League defeat by Switzerland. The loss in Glasgow’s southside came after a goalless draw in Ljubljana on Saturday in Pocognoli’s first game in charge, leaving Scotland third in their Nations League group after two matches.
Pocognoli had promised a more attacking approach built on a high press and high energy, but those plans were undermined when Jack Hendry was sent off in the 11th minute. Ricardo Rodriguez scored from the free-kick that followed, beating Angus Gunn, and Switzerland never relinquished control. Nico Elvedi and Zeki Amdouni added further goals in the second half.
The result extended a concerning run for Scotland, who are without a clean sheet in eight home matches and have failed to score in six of their nine games this year. Pocognoli is still waiting for his first goal as head coach.
Pocognoli, appointed as Steve Clarke’s successor in August, acknowledged the difficulty of playing against a strong opponent with 10 men. “It’s not easy against a good team to be with 10 men,” he said. “It will be more about the reaction. We had an unlucky red card, punished with the free-kick, that’s the worst scenario. The guys did the best they could and hopefully we will remember this night differently later on.”
He added: “We have to move on and get a good result in North Macedonia.” Scotland travel to bottom side North Macedonia on Saturday before hosting Slovenia on Tuesday.