Scotland recorded one of their most famous victories on Tuesday night, as they stunned Spain 2-0 in Euro 2024 qualifiers.
Scott McTominay’s double sealed Scotland’s first win over Spain since 1984, and simultaneously ended the Spaniards’ 19-game unbeaten streak in European qualifiers.
Manchester City midfielder Rodri gave a bitter post-match interview after his side’s loss, in which he lambasted Scotland’s style of football as “a bit rubbish”.
“It’s the way they play,” the Spanish captain told Viaplay. “You have to respect at the end but for me it’s a bit rubbish because it’s always wasting time. They provoke you and they always fall.
— Viaplay Sports UK (@ViaplaySportsUK) March 28, 2023
Spain's Rodri gives his verdict on his side's loss to Scotland
"It's the way they play…for me it's a bit rubbish. Because it's always wasting time. They provoke you. They always fall. For me, this is not football."#EURO2024 | #SCOESP pic.twitter.com/MIgxOOA2Cl
“This for me is not football. For the speed of the sport you have to move on, but the referee has to take part of this and he says nothing.
“It was frustrating because we want to win and it’s difficult because they waste time, waste time. But it is what it is. They have their weapons and we have our weapons and we will learn for the next time.”
Rodri’s choice words sparked plenty of responses from pundits and fans alike. Scottish supporters invoked their inner Del Boy, with many tweeting “Rodri, you plonker!” in reply to his critiques on Scotland’s style.
Former Scotland striker Ally McCoist provided a sharp reply to the City midfielder on Talksport.
“I thought we were just a wee bit too physical for Rodri,” McCoist said.
“We were rubbish, is that the word he used? Bless his wee Spanish heart. He’s a good player but he can cope with the physical side of the game no bother so the irony of him talking about the physicality of Scotland is not lost on me.”
“Bless his wee Spanish heart!”
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) March 29, 2023
“We were a bit too physical for Rodri!”
Ally McCoist reacts to Rodri's bitter interview, calling Scotland’s style ‘rubbish’. pic.twitter.com/ZNtDvZPkUT
Spain defender David Garcia also claimed the grass on Hampden’s pitch was “too long”.
“We already saw that the grass was too long, and that cost us,” he said. “We can’t make excuses for that, we have to look at ourselves and fix what we did wrong today.”
Former Rangers striker Kris Boyd joined in on the fun, adding: “I think it shows how far Scotland have come under Steve Clarke because when you’ve got top nations like Spain turning up and making excuses – the length of the grass on the pitch, fouling – you look at Iago Aspas last night and he was more of a wrestler challenging Ryan Porteous.
“I hope Pep’s got some new dummies ready for Rodri when he gets back to Manchester City because he certainly spat them out last night.”
Rodri gained traction for a similar post-match interview after Spain lost to Morocco in the knockout stages of the World Cup in Qatar, in which he slammed Morocco’s style of play.
“Morocco offered absolutely nothing, without disrespecting them,” the 26-year-old said. “In the game, they did nothing. They just waited for the counters. They stayed behind and tried to counter us.”
Arsenal fans have added further fuel to the fire, claiming that Rodri targeted Arsenal players in Spain’s games. Arsenal and Scottish defender Kieran Tierney was an injury worry when the Spaniard’s boot clashed with the underside of the his foot. It came just a few days after Rodri delivered a brutal tackle on Arsenal’s Martin Odegard in a match against Norway.
— Arsenal Buzz (@ArsenalBuzzCom) March 25, 2023
| Ødegaard on Rodri’s tackle: “I’m pretty sure I should have had a penalty. He’s coming with his studs right on my ankle. I’m sure I’ll get punished [if I say anymore].
“I don’t bother saying anything else about the referee. It’s better not to say anything.” [TV2 via Metro] pic.twitter.com/wpRYvxI4sT
Whilst Scotland and Arsenal fans alike reveled in Rodri’s bitterness, Spanish newspapers despaired for their national side’s performance. With one blasting Spain’s trip to Glasgow as “Failure”, and another using the headline “Escocidos”, which simply translates to “Stung.”
Today's
— The Spanish Football Podcast (@tsf_podcast) March 29, 2023frontpages:
Marca: "What's the plan?"
In contrast to Rodri’s indignation, Spanish newspaper Marca were scathing of Spain and equally flattering to Scotland, calling the match a “beautiful battle,” and “It’s not indoor football, what they call champagne, but it’s the real thing.”
Some of Spain’s players incurred the wrath of the Scotland fans for theatrical falls, notably Joselu who twice went down in the box in dramatic fashion, and Pedro Porro, who rolled in agony after a clash for which Andy Robertson received a yellow card.
When asked whether his own team were guilty of going down too easily, Rodri said: “No, we want to go into battle and we always fight but this is not about fighting. It’s about wasting time, four or five players on the floor, these kind of situations.”
McTominay admitted there was some gamesmanship going on but he felt both teams were guilty.
“I feel everyone on the pitch was at it, diving around, making the game slow,” he said. “It wasn’t really a clean game in terms of everyone getting up and getting on with little fouls.
“It was a difficult night for the referee because everyone was making the most of everything. But sometimes that’s the way it has got to be, you have got to do stuff like that when you want to keep hold of a lead.”
Additional reporting by Press Association
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