Scotland earned a crucial draw against Switzerland on Wednesday night to keep their hopes of reaching the knock-out stage alive, but the quality of the match was not to the liking of one Tottenham legend.
Scott McTominay’s deflected strike gave Scotland an early lead in the Group A match in Cologne, as Steve Clarke’s side aimed to bounce back from their 5-1 opening day loss to Germany.
A stunning Xherdan Shaqiri effort brought Switzerland back level in the 26th minute, with neither side able to score a crucial second goal to eventually leave them having to settle for a 1-1 draw.
While there were chances at both ends as both nations pushed for a winner, the overall quality of the match was blasted by Tottenham legend Ossie Ardiles.
The Argentine, a member of their 1978 World Cup winning side, claimed the Euro 2024 clash was an ’embarrassment’.
Ardiles expressed his surprise at the positive analysis of the Euro 2024 clash at full-time, suggesting it was ‘even worse’ than the match itself.
‘Scotland vs Switzerland. What a terrible terrible game it was. How can two teams play so bad? No idea going forward,’ Ardiles wrote on social media.
‘Pele, immortals words: Football is the beautiful game… You must be joking. What an embarrassment. The comments in TV, if anything, even worse!
Ardiles added in a follow-up tweet: ‘Watching the comments on TV after the game… I’m sure I watched another game!’
Scotland’s clash with Switzerland was shown by the BBC, although it is unclear whether Ardiles is referring to the broadcaster’s coverage.
Ardiles has since tempered his criticism, making a further post on Thursday morning.
‘Scotland Switzerland last night. I just thought the quality of the game was poor. Apologies if it was perceived like having a got to Scotland,’ Ardiles wrote.
The Argentine, now 71, had been a fan favourite at Tottenham during a 10-year spell at the club after joining with international team-mate following their World Cup win.
The skillful midfielder won the UEFA Cup and lifted the FA Cup twice during his time at White Hart Lane, before leaving in 1988.
Ardiles became famed for his all-out attacking football during his managerial career, rejoining Tottenham as boss in 1993 after securing promotions with Swindon and West Brom.
His spell as Tottenham boss was best remembered for the ‘Famous Five’, with Ardiles fielding Teddy Sheringham, Jurgen Klinsmann, Ilie Dumitrescu, Darren Anderton and Nick Barmby in forward thinking line-up.
Ardiles was ultimately sacked in 1994 with Tottenham struggling in league, as goals flowed at both ends of the pitch, before taking on another nine managerial jobs in his career.
Despite the comments of the Tottenham Hall of Fame member, Scotland will be relieved to have earned a crucial point, which keeps their Euro 2024 hopes alive.
Clarke’s side will now target a victory over Hungary in their final group stage match on Sunday.
Victory would likely take Scotland into the knock-out stages of the tournament for the first time in their history.
