On Wednesday, the visitors will travel to Israel as they look to confirm first place in this Nations League group. For Slovakia and Tarkovic, they still sit bottom of the group on four points, but will next face a trip to Czech Republic.
Tarkovic makes it two wins in two as Gregus' first-half goal earns the hosts all three points in this Nations League clash. Clarke's men did have the majority of chances in both halves, largely thanks to Armstrong, Christie and then the introduction of Griffiths. Rodak produced a fine save in the final minute of the game to secure the 1-0 victory and eradicate Scotland's unbeaten start to Group B2.
90' + 5' FULL-TIME: SLOVAKIA 1-0 SCOTLAND
90' + 4' WHAT A SAVE! One final chance comes for Griffiths as he volleys towards Rodak's far post, however, once again, the goalkeeper pulls off a wonderful one-handed save as he dives to his left and surely secures the three points for his side.
P. Šafranko
M. Ďuriš
90' + 4' Duris, whose hold-up play has been excellent here, is replaced by Safranko as Tarkovic looks to run down the clock furher.
R. Christie
Yellow Card
90' + 3' Christie wipes out Hrosovsky from behind and adds to Kovacs' growing list of cautions.
90' + 2' Tierney gets into a foot race with Pekarik and wins before switching the play to Griffiths. The striker ignores the run of McLean, cuts inside and shoots with his left foot, however, his effort is tame and Rodak comfortable saves diving to his right.
90' + 1' The fourth official waves his board about to signal three minutes of added time as the Scots desperately search for an equaliser to maintain their perfect record in the Nations League so far.
90' Tierney is forced into playing short by Rusnak but the Arsenal man scuffs his pass out for a throw-in, gifting the hosts the ball and a valuable opportunity to waste some more precious seconds.
A. Rusnák
Yellow Card
88' Rusnak uses two arms to bring down McGinn and referee Kovacs dishes out the Slovakian's sixth booking.
88' McKenna somehow finds himself on the edge of the opposition's area and looks unsure what to do. He eventually tries an ambitious flick towards Griffiths but once again, Skriniar intercepts before pumping a clearance long towards Gordon.
L. Shankland
S. Armstrong
87' Shankland is Clarke's next change as he comes on for Armstrong.
86' Skriniar and Lobotka calmly play through the incoming Scotland men as Griffiths looks to lead the press. The Slovakians then reach the other end of the pitch before Tierney's firm sliding tackle wins possession back.
84' Griffiths tries to be far too cute as he looks to slide in McLean and Skriniar is well aware of Griffiths' intentions, which allows him to intercept on the edge of the area, before clearing for a throw-in as Slovakia look to weather this Scottish storm.
82' Christie is offered tons of time on the left-hand side to pick his man in the area, McBurnie meets the left-footed cross but misdirects his header to the left of Rodak's goal.
81' Pekarik goes in search of Rusnak at the far post, however, Palmer is alert to the danger, heading away for Christie, who looks to launch a counter-attack with the help of Griffiths. The striker reaches the area before Latka tackles out for a Scotland corner.
80' Tarkovic's men have lost six of their eight Nations League games (W1 D1) and are on a run of five such matches without victory (D1 L4) since a 4-1 win against Ukraine in November 2018. They are one of just three countries yet to keep a clean sheet in the competition (alongside Northern Ireland and Iceland).
78' Duda is clever as he gets his body between Griffiths and the ball, winning a free-kick for the hosts after Scotland's failed attempt to cross into the box.
R. Mazáň
Yellow Card
77' Another Slovakian yellow card comes as Mazan carelessly goes through the back of Christie near the right-hand touchline.
76' Griffiths has two attempts at crossing but both times Tarkovic's men stand firm and head the danger clear. With little over 15 minutes remaining, can Clarke's work an opening to find an equaliser?
75' Tierney finds Griffiths unmarked at the back post, but the striker unselfishly opts to pass to McBurnie rather than shoot and gives away possession. Perhaps that was the wrong decision from the substitute as he had acres of space there.
74' Slovakia break expertly through Scotland's five-man press, which offers them a chance to attack down the other end. Duda opts against this chance, as he plays backwards to Pekarik and retains possession.
72' Armstrong, who has been the visitors' brightest spark, spins Hrosovsky on the left but then his Scottish colleagues lose possession in the middle of the park.
71' Armstrong wins a corner on the left via a deflection off of the feet of Pekarik. After winning the set-piece, Armstrong takes but annoyingly for the visitors, doesn't beat the first man.
70' Gordon looks long down the pitch and finds the feet of Armstrong. The visitors then seem content to work the ball from side to side as they patiently look to build an opening for an equaliser.
L. Griffiths
A. Considine
68' Clarke isn't hanging about as he throws on another striker to chase the game. Griffiths is the man trusted to make the difference as he comes on for centre-back Considine, meaning the visitors will shift to a regulation four-man defence.
A. Rusnák
M. Hamšík
68' Captain Hamsik comes off and in his place comes Rusnak in midfield.
67' Cooper and Gordon are a bit too confident as they look to play out from the back, which results in the Scots conceding a throw-in deep inside their own half as Tarkovic looks set to make more changes.
66' Cooper scuffs his pass across the pitch which allows the hosts to counter-attack. After some hesitation, Pekarik then delivers a poor cross into the area, which is easy for Considine to head away.
O. Duda
Yellow Card
65' Duda is the next to go into the book as he thumps into McGinn near the centre circle, despite the Scottish captain having already played his pass well before the needless tackle.
65' Hrosovsky is offered far too much space outside the area, advancing towards the D before unleashing a right-footed effort which bobbles just wide of Gordon's goal to the left.
64' The visitors are growing increasingly frustrated with the Slovakians but more specifically referee Kovacs and his team. McBurnie and Tierney need to tread carefully as they continue to pester the officials.
62' GREAT SAVE! Tierney shifts one way then the other past Satka, before delivering a cross towards the six-yard area. McLean is somehow unmarked and heads powerfully towards the bottom left corner but Rodak is there to match his efforts as he produces a wonderful one-handed save.
S. Lobotka
J. Kucka
61' Kucka, who was booked in the first half, comes off and is replaced by Lobotka in a like-for-like swap by Tarkovic.
61' Christie has scored in each of his last three games for Scotland, in fact, he has been directly involved in nine goals (four goals, five assists) in just 11 starts for his country, since his debut against Netherlands in November 2017. Could he be the man to provide a bit of inspiration for the visitors?
60' Palmer has a lot of room on the right-hand side but the Scots fail to work the ball towards him as McLean chips a left-footed pass straight out of play, much to the frustration of the coaching staff on the visitors' bench.
M. Škriniar
Yellow Card
58' Yellow Card Milan Škriniar
58' McBurnie and Skriniar are still exchanging a few choice words after the striker's foul on the centre-back. The Slovakian seems to be pointing towards the blood on his bandage, while McBurnie doesn't seem too impressed with the centre-back's theatrics.
57' Skriniar is down clutching his head after an aerial duel with McBurnie. The physios rush on to tend to him and he returns to the pitch after a bit of treatment.
P. Pekarík
Yellow Card
56' Pekarik is booked for his cynical foul on Armstrong as the Scot looked to counter-attack.
56' Armstrong nips the ball away from Pekarik and looks to break but is cynically fouled by the full-back before he can progress any further.
55' The Scots commit a number of men forward as they search for an equaliser, but their pursuit fails this time as McBurnie's shot from the edge of the area is wasteful and easily blocked by Satka.
53' Skriniar holds off the incoming run of Palmer as he watches the ball out for a Slovakian goal-kick, which Rodak duly pumps up the pitch.
51' Armstrong reaches the byline before cutting back a cross with his left foot, McLean meets the pass with his left foot but can only volley both high and wide of Rodak's goal.
50' Hamsik and Gregus work possession from one side of the pitch to the other before the latter shoots just over the bar on his left foot from 30 yards out.
48' McBurnie and Armstrong look to make some thing happen on the area but the former's pass is wayward, allowing the hosts to takeover and intercept.
46' Tierney looks to find Armstrong in the middle but the wing-back's pass is rifled towards the Southampton man's throat, meaning he has no chance of controlling it under the pressure of Hamsik and Kucka.
46' Both sides are back out and referee Kovacs gets the second half of this Nations League fixture underway!
Despite rotating the Scottish side heavily, Clarke will likely be pleased with his side's performance in the first half. However, if the game carries on as it is, he may look to call upon the likes of McTominay, Griffiths or McGregor off of the bench to change the game. For Tarkovic's men, they have kept the ball well and he will likely be asking for more of the same in the next 45.
It has been far from a classic between these two sides so far but Tarkovic's men go in 1-0 up at the break, courtesy of Gregus' goal from outside the area which wrong-footed Gordon. The visitors have perhaps had the better of the opportunities, namely through Palmer, Armstrong and McBurnie but have nothing to show for their efforts at the end of the first 45.
45' HALF-TIME: SLOVAKIA 1-0 SCOTLAND
J. Kucka
Yellow Card
44' Tierney drops his shoulder and beats Kucka near the left-hand touchline, which leaves Kucka no option other than to foul him and for his efforts, he earns the hosts' first yellow card of the game.
43' WIDE! Christie plays a long pass into the area as he searches for the run of Armstrong. The Southampton man beats Rodak to the throughball and chips over him with his left foot from inside the six-yard area but it goes just wide of the right-hand post.
J. McGinn
Yellow Card
41' McGinn, who is wearing the armband for the visitors, is the second caution of the game as he fouls Kucka near the halfway line to stop the Slovakian from progressing.
40' Scotland pin the hosts in their own half, eventually winning possession back, however, Tierney then wastes the opportunity as his cross is far too floaty and easy for the defence to deal with.
38' Duda looks for Pekarik wide on the right but his pass is overhit and trickles out for a goal-kick to the visitors. Prior to that, the hosts had manipulated possession from side to side for two minutes, largely using Hamsik as their main outlet.
36' Cooper flies into a tackle with Kucka just before the halfway line and is perhaps lucky to escape a booking from referee Kovacs.
34' Palmer races onto a cross at the back post but his attempt at a volley is poor and looks more likely to trouble the corner flag than Rodak's goal.
33' Scotland are unbeaten in each of their last three away games (W2 D1), they last went longer without defeat on the road in September 2006 (5 games – W3 D2). Could that run be over here?
32' Looking at the replay of Gregus' goal, Gordon cannot take much of the blame for that one as his vision would have been significantly impaired by all of the Scottish shirts in the way on the edge of the area.
P. Pekarík
Assist
31' Pekarik is fed a short pass by Duris, the full-back then returns the favour, playing a simple right-footed pass to Gregus, who beats Gordon from outside the area.
J. Greguš
Goal
31' GOALLL!! 1-0 SLOVAKIA! Gregus drills a right-footed effort past Gordon from 25 yards out low into the bottom left corner. Initially, Duris had done well to turn Cooper and hold-up the ball as he waited for Pekarik to join the attack on the right-hand side.
S. Armstrong
Yellow Card
30' Armstrong is booked for backing into Kucka off the ball, leaving the Slovakian on the floor, much to the annoyance of captain Hamsik and his colleagues.
30' Palmer whips a pass down the line to Christie, who is tackled from behind twice by Skriniar before the centre-back brings him down unnecessarily. The referee offers Skriniar a few words of warning before play goes on.
28' Christie shows off his touch as he evades three Slovakian defenders, eventually reaching the edge of the area, where he is bundled over by Kucka. Armstrong and Christie stand over the free-kick before the former whips a right-footed effort well over the bar.
26' Tierney is happy to see the ball out of play on the left, under the pressure of Kucka and Duda and wins a throw-in near the Scots' corner flag.
24' Duris goes down softly but does enough to convince the referee that Cooper has fouled him, earning a free-kick near the centre circle, which offers his team a bit of respite after Scotland's dominance in the last five minutes or so.
23' Armstrong nearly finds room in the area but Slovakia do well to regroup in numbers. Christie is then fouled clumsily by Kucka near the left-hand touchline, offering the visitors another chance to cross from a set-piece.
22' Palmer and Christie attempt to combine multiple times down the right-hand side before McGinn decides enough is enough and switches possession over to Tierney and Cooper on the left.
20' Considine looks long for Christie, who is clattered in the air by Skriniar and wins a free-kick for the visitors wide on the right. Christie's cross is then met by McBurnie but goes well wide of the target.
18' Christie tries to dink a pass over the head of Skrininar, however, it is far too overhit and instead of finding McBurnie, it rolls out for a goal-kick.
16' WHAT A BLOCK! Armstrong plays a delicate pass through to McBurnie, who seemingly only has the goalkeeper to beat in the box. The Sheffield United striker shifts it to his left before looking to pull the trigger but Kucka makes a great block to remove the danger. McBurnie should be doing better from there and his wait for his first international goal will go on.
15' Palmer sends an inviting cross towards Tierney at the back post, the Arsenal wing-back chests it down before attempting to go around Pekarik. Unfortunately for Scotland, referee Kovacs deems Tierney to have fouled Pekarik, gifting a free-kick to the hosts inside their own area.
14' Mazan is released down the left but his cross is then scuffed, allowing Tierney to take control and chest back to Gordon in the visitors' area.
12' Christie throws his arms in the air after he is deemed to have fouled Gregus near the halfway line. Nevertheless, the hosts earn a free-kick which Hamsik will take.
11' Cooper produces an excellent sliding tackle, throwing himself to his left, to stop Duris advancing onto a throughball inside Scotland's area.
10' The visitors have won their last two international encounters with Slovakia by the same 1-0 scoreline, although both games were at home – a World cup qualifier in October 2017 and a Nations League match last month.
8' OVER THE BAR! McBurnie stalls in the area and is tackled by a combination of two Slovakia defenders, possession then falls to Palmer on the edge of the area and the wing-back arrows a right-footed effort towards the top left corner but it sails just inches over the bar.
7' Christie has a chance down the other end after McBurnie slips him through, however, his left-footed effort is weak and easy for Rodak to dive on.
6' SAVE! Gordon is forced into making the first save of the game, diving low to his left to stop Kucka's effort with his right foot from 35 yards. It would have had to been a wonderful strike to beat the veteran goalkeeper from that far out.
4' Tierney puts McLean under a bit of pressure with a poor pass deep inside their own half, but the midfielder does well to evade two challenges before searching for McBurnie up top.
2' The visitors are yet to touch the ball as Tarkovic's side play out from the back multiple times and eventually break forward through Hamsik. The move then falters as Considine intercepts, playing backwards to Gordon in goal.
1' Referee Istvan Kovacs blows his whistle to get this Nations League fixture started!
The players are making their way on to the pitch at the City Arena Trnava and shortly the game will be underway.
The hosts have won just one of their last seven international matches at home (D3 L3) – a 2-0 victory against Azerbaijan in November 2019.
Steve Clarke makes eight changes from the side that succeeded against Serbia, with McGinn, Christie and Tierney the only players not to be rested. Robertson drops out through injury, however, Clarke sticks with a three-man defence.
Interim manager Stefan Tarkovic, in only his second game in charge, opts for four changes to his starting eleven that triumphed over Northern Ireland in midweek. Despite coming out of international retirement last week, Hubocan misses out through injury and will be replaced by Mazan.
SUBS: Ryan Jack, Callum Paterson, Leigh Griffiths, Callum McGregor, Declan Gallagher, Oliver Burke, Greg Taylor, Scott McTominay, David Marshall, Lawrence Shankland, Stephen O’Donnell, Jon McLaughlin.
SCOTLAND (3-4-3): Craig Gordon; Liam Cooper, Andrew Considine, Scott McKenna; Kieran Tierney, Liam Palmer, John McGinn, Kenny McLean; Oliver McBurnie, Ryan Christie, Stuart Armstrong.
SUBS: Martin Valjent, Dominik Greif, Lukas Pauschek, Adam Jakubech, Albert Rusnak, Stanislav Lobotka, Pavol Safranko, Samuel Mraz, Robert Mak, Tomas Suslov, Ivan Schranz, Norbert Gyomber.
SLOVAKIA (4-1-4-1): Marek Rodak; Milan Skriniar, Peter Pekarik, Robert Mazan, Lubomir Satka; Patrik Hrosovsky; Marek Hamsik, Juraj Kucka, Jan Gregus, Michal Duris; Ondrej Duda.
After both qualifying for the EUROs in midweek, thanks to late heroics in extra time and penalties respectively, you could be forgiven for expecting a fairly lethargic affair here. Nevertheless, the visitors sit top of Group B2 on 10 points, with Slovakia bottom on just a singular point.
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the Nations League group B2 fixture between Slovakia and Scotland.
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