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Scotland Players 'Relieved' Following Narrow Victory Over Liechtenstein - Lee McCulloch
Midfielder dedicates victory to Levein...
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Sep 8, 2010 12:01:00 PM
By Adithya Ananth
Lee McCulloch insists that Scotland players are "relieved" to have overcome Liechtenstein and avoided putting unnecessary pressure on themselves or their manager Craig Levein, as they now top Group I in the Euro 2012 qualifying stage.
The Tartan Army were shocked in the early stages of the second half of the game at Hampden Park on Tuesday, as Mario Frick put one past the hosts to give his side the lead. But a goal from striker Kenny Miller and a last-gasp 97th minute header from Stephen McManus saved what could have otherwise been an embarrassing and pressurised situation for Levein and his charges.
"The players are relieved we got the win, for the group, for ourselves and for the manager as well," McCulloch told reporters.
"He is so organised and he puts his neck on the line at times and he's not scared to make a decision. I think that shows through.
"The boys are just delighted they've got the win for him.
"I thought we dominated the game but they frustrated us, they sat in and made it hard for us to pass the ball around and we are just glad we got the goal in the end."
Levein's charges secured only a 2-1 victory over the whipping boys of the group, but the Gers midfielder insisted that it was the sort of game that they had expected all along.
"We've still got to be positive," McCulloch said.
"Okay, we didn't win 3-0, 4-0, 5-0, like everybody was saying we were going to do. But we've got the three points and we've got to take the positives out of the game.
"I think everyone always underestimates opponents when they come to Hampden but we knew it was going to be a tough game, we knew they were going to make it difficult for us.
"They hit us with a goal and we went down to 1-0 and it would have been easy for us to crumble but I thought we showed great character to get the two goals back. We got the three points and we are top of the group just now."
Now Scotland have the task of taking on a wounded Czech Republic side - that lost to Lithuania - in Prague next month, before hosting world champions Spain at Hampden Park.
For his part, McCulloch will miss the encounter against Michal Bilek's charges owing to an accumulation of yellow cards.
"I'm gutted to be honest," he said.
"I don't even know what I was booked for. The wee guy who was marking me was pulling my top and I shouted over to the linesman that he was pulling my top and the ref came over and booked me. I don't even know what to say."
The former Wigan Athletic midfielder added: "I don't think the next two games will be like the two we've had, especially the home game.
"We played against a Liechtenstein side who wanted to just sit in and make it hard for us. I don't think Spain here will be sitting in and trying to frustrate us. All the games are different."
The Tartan Army were shocked in the early stages of the second half of the game at Hampden Park on Tuesday, as Mario Frick put one past the hosts to give his side the lead. But a goal from striker Kenny Miller and a last-gasp 97th minute header from Stephen McManus saved what could have otherwise been an embarrassing and pressurised situation for Levein and his charges.
"The players are relieved we got the win, for the group, for ourselves and for the manager as well," McCulloch told reporters.
"He is so organised and he puts his neck on the line at times and he's not scared to make a decision. I think that shows through.
"The boys are just delighted they've got the win for him.
"I thought we dominated the game but they frustrated us, they sat in and made it hard for us to pass the ball around and we are just glad we got the goal in the end."
Levein's charges secured only a 2-1 victory over the whipping boys of the group, but the Gers midfielder insisted that it was the sort of game that they had expected all along.
"We've still got to be positive," McCulloch said.
"Okay, we didn't win 3-0, 4-0, 5-0, like everybody was saying we were going to do. But we've got the three points and we've got to take the positives out of the game.
"I think everyone always underestimates opponents when they come to Hampden but we knew it was going to be a tough game, we knew they were going to make it difficult for us.
"They hit us with a goal and we went down to 1-0 and it would have been easy for us to crumble but I thought we showed great character to get the two goals back. We got the three points and we are top of the group just now."
Now Scotland have the task of taking on a wounded Czech Republic side - that lost to Lithuania - in Prague next month, before hosting world champions Spain at Hampden Park.
For his part, McCulloch will miss the encounter against Michal Bilek's charges owing to an accumulation of yellow cards.
"I'm gutted to be honest," he said.
"I don't even know what I was booked for. The wee guy who was marking me was pulling my top and I shouted over to the linesman that he was pulling my top and the ref came over and booked me. I don't even know what to say."
The former Wigan Athletic midfielder added: "I don't think the next two games will be like the two we've had, especially the home game.
"We played against a Liechtenstein side who wanted to just sit in and make it hard for us. I don't think Spain here will be sitting in and trying to frustrate us. All the games are different."
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