Scotland's 'excellent reaction to bad night' boosts Euro 2024 ambitions.

Steve Clarke says Scotland's true identity was revealed in the 1-1 draw with Switzerland, which keeps their Euro 2024 chances alive.

The Scots were beaten 5-1 by Germany in their first Group A encounter in Munich on Friday, leaving the Scots manager and the Tartan Army seeking a response, which they received.

Scott McTominay's shot was deflected in by Swiss defender Fabian Schar in the 13th minute, but Xherdan Shaqiri levelled in Cologne in the 26th minute after Anthony Ralston made an error.

Germany has six points, Switzerland has four, and Scotland has one heading into their final game against pointless Hungary on Sunday in Stuttgart.

"It was what we expected," added Clarke, who confirmed that defender Kieran Tierney will miss the match against Hungary due to an injury sustained while being carried off on a stretcher.

"This is how we've been playing as a team for the past three to four years. This is why we are at a huge competition.

"I believed the team performed well against a good opponent.

"It was a positive reaction to a difficult night, and we are still in the tournament.

"Sometimes as a player or manager, things don't go your way, and it certainly didn't for us on Friday night.

"Tonight was about getting back to what we're excellent at: working hard and making sure we got the preparation right, which I believe we accomplished.

"They'll feel a lot better about the upcoming game after that performance.

"We demonstrated that, in addition to aggression and fighting, we can play the dirty side of the game.

"When we get the ball down, we play; we generated some chances, and Switzerland created some opportunities.

"We did what we had to do and are still in the competition."

Clarke remarked that only Shaqiri from Switzerland could have produced such a spectacular long-range finish.

He stated, "When Tony made the mistake - a minor error that could have been recovered by any other player on the Swiss team, it was not a goal." It reveals what I think of him.

"You know it was meant for the top corner. He is a top player, and you do not give top players that kind of opportunity."

Clarke claimed he was pleased to be asked about goalkeeper Angus Gunn, who made multiple mistakes after being chastised for his performance against Germany.

"You need your goalkeeper to make some good saves," the Scotland manager explained.
"He made two or three massive saves, which are exactly what you need. I am very thrilled for him."

Switzerland manager Murat Yakin, whose team should qualify even if they lose to Germany, was unsurprised by Scotland's development.

He stated, "Scotland needed to recover from their first match; their pride had been bruised, so we expected them to react.

"We had to expect pressure and them to close the space. We fell behind and had to expend more energy than intended in order to catch up, which benefited us. We definitely squandered some golden possibilities.

"It was a challenging battle, and Scotland and Hungary will play a hard-fought game.

"It will be a different match against Germany." We don't need to win, but it will be a difficult contest."