Liam Cooper says Scotland were made to pay for a dismal first half against Denmark – but the Leeds United captain insists there’s a chance to respond against Moldova.
Cooper started for Clarke in Copenhagen but was left helpless as Denmark coasted to a 2-0 win, with both goals coming inside the opening 15 minutes. The Leeds United defender knows it wasn’t good enough but heart can be taken from a better second half. Scotland face Moldova on Saturday, sitting fourth in World Cup qualifying Group F.
The Leeds United man couldn’t prevent defeat as Scotland were brushed aside easily by a strong Denmark team. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
He said: “The plan goes out the window when you start a game like that. It’s hard and then you are chasing the game. We didn’t get carved open for the goals, we just switched off in two moments. I wouldn’t even say at times it was backs against the walls.
“We had a good shape about us but two lapses in concentration meant we were 2-0 down against a top team. We do need to pass the ball better and we have the players who can do that. We have lads who are comfortable on the ball and it comes down to everyone. We said that at half-time –we need to stop panicking on the ball.
“We need to make options for each other and penetrate, get it through the lines. When we did that in the second half we looked good. We looked dangerous. That is something we need to show more of and I am sure we will work on that in the next few days. We can take a lot from the second-half performance.”
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