Scotland beat North Macedonia 2-0 in Skopje for first win under Pocognoli
Scotland beat North Macedonia 2-0 in Skopje on 3 October to hand Sebastien Pocognoli his first win as head coach.
Kieron Bowie struck early at the Nacionalna Arena Toše Proeski. Vice-captain John McGinn made it safe with a left-foot penalty in the 70th minute in this League B Group B1 tie in the 2026-27 UEFA Nations League. UEFA The Guardian
The goal was Bowie’s first for Scotland. McGinn’s spot-kick, driven in with his left foot, gave Scotland the breathing room their play had earned.
It was a night built for Andy Robertson. The left-back won his 100th cap for his country, which in football simply means his 100th senior appearance. He played like he wanted to mark it. He had four shots in the first 13 minutes, after never managing four shots in a full 90 minutes in any of his previous 99 caps. BBC
Scotland dominated the numbers. They had 25 shots to North Macedonia’s nine, with 10 on target to zero. Before Scott McKenna’s late red card, they had 37 touches in the opposition penalty area, the box around the goal where most chances are created, to North Macedonia’s two in Scotland’s area.
The late dismissal took a little shine off the evening. Defender McKenna was sent off in the closing stages, so Scotland finished with 10 men.
There were new faces in the win too. Luis Binks, Stephen Welsh and substitute Robbie Ure all played their part in the victory in Skopje. At the other end of the story, striker Oli McBurnie missed a chance and has now gone 19 caps without a goal.
What makes this stand out is the control. Scotland moved the ball, kept North Macedonia pinned back and did not allow a single shot on target. For a team still learning a new coach’s ideas, that kind of calm away from home matters.
Context helped. Pocognoli had been seeking his first win heading into the Saturday 7:45pm UK-time kick-off. North Macedonia had lost 3-0 at home to Switzerland on 26 September and then 2-0 to Slovenia on 29 September before Scotland arrived.
Scotland now head home. They face Slovenia at Hampden on Tuesday, with a first win banked and a little momentum at last.
