"There were many, especially in the early stages. We were very successful back then, at EURO 2016 and then winning the Confederations Cup the following year. The period after that was...actually worse than mediocre."
Both teams demonstrated significant strength in their recent matches, showing that they could be serious contenders for the upcoming 2026 World Cup, but concerns about early peak performances linger.
It seems foolish to say, but Scotland were the more dominant side in the first half in Dundee, despite going in two goals down. A couple of sucker-punches - the opener inside a minute and an own-goal for the second - set them back in an otherwise comfortable first 45.