Kieron Bowie scored his first Scotland goal with a superb early strike before John McGinn converted a second-half penalty to give Sebastien Pocognoli his first victory as head coach in a 2-0 Nations League win over North Macedonia in Skopje.
Scotland dominated for long periods and ended a run of 422 minutes without scoring, but their failure to turn numerous chances into goals and Scott McKenna’s late dismissal offered reminders that tougher tests lie ahead.
The result also provided a fitting backdrop for Andy Robertson’s 100th international appearance. The Scotland captain, who made his debut in 2014, became only the second player to reach the milestone for his country, moving closer to Kenny Dalglish’s appearance record.
Bowie gave the visitors the perfect start in the seventh minute. Collecting Billy Gilmour’s pass around 25 yards from goal, the Sassuolo forward created enough space between two defenders to unleash a powerful left-footed shot beyond Stole Dimitrievski. Having been withdrawn early during Tuesday’s defeat by Switzerland following Jack Hendry’s red card, Bowie repaid Pocognoli’s decision to restore him to the starting line-up.
Robertson nearly marked his landmark appearance with a goal of his own, forcing Dimitrievski into an early save before wasting another promising opportunity. John McGinn had released the left-back with an excellent pass, but Robertson shot wide rather than square the ball to Oli McBurnie.
Scotland continued to find openings as Ben Gannon-Doak and Bowie threatened, but their finishing prevented the scoreline from reflecting their control. North Macedonia, who had failed to score in their previous six matches, struggled to produce a meaningful response and made two substitutions before the half-hour mark.
Gannon-Doak missed another opportunity shortly after the restart when he went through on goal but directed a tame effort at Dimitrievski. The Bournemouth winger subsequently appeared to have won a penalty, only for a video assistant referee review to establish that he had stepped on Matej Gashtarov’s foot.
Ryan Christie’s introduction at half-time helped Scotland maintain their authority in midfield, but the decisive second goal came from a set-piece incident. McKenna headed the ball towards Bowie from a corner and, after the referee initially penalised the Scotland defender, a review reversed the decision and identified an arm block by Bojan Miovski.
McGinn took responsibility from the penalty spot in the 69th minute, driving a low shot past Dimitrievski to double Scotland’s lead. The Aston Villa midfielder moved to 22 international goals, drawing level with Lawrie Reilly and joining the country’s fourth-highest scorers.
The closing stages brought an unwanted complication for Pocognoli. McKenna was sent off six minutes from time for bringing down Agon Elezi and denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity. The defender will therefore miss Tuesday’s home match against Slovenia, with Robertson acknowledging afterwards that his loose pass had contributed to the situation.
Stoke City centre-back Luke Graham made his Scotland debut late on as the hosts failed to capitalise on their numerical advantage. McGinn had a chance to add a third in stoppage time but was denied.
