Doak delighted by starring role at Hampden as wing wonder dazzles against much-vaunted Croatians
Ben Doak insists he will continue to take his new-found role as Scotland’s main man in his stride as he eyes more glory nights with the national team.
The 19-year-old was the star of the show at Hampden as Steve Clarke’s side downed 10-man Croatia to secure a first competitive victory in 14 months.
John McGinn was introduced off the bench midway through the second half and the Aston Villa captain was in the right place at the right time to sweep home with five minutes of normal time remaining.
But it was the performance of Liverpool youngster Doak — on-loan at Middlesbrough — who grabbed the headlines, getting the better of Manchester City defender Josko Gvardiol to set up the late winner.
Speaking after the win — which puts Scotland level with Monday’s Nations League opponents Poland on four points in Group A — Doak admitted he was too busy focusing on his own game to take notice of his more illustrious counterparts.
‘I don’t see faces on the park, I just see a kit and a blank face,’ he said. ‘I don’t take notice of reputations.
Ben Doak was the standout performer for Scotland and offered hope of a bright future
Doak gave £77m Manchester City defender Josko Gvardiol a torrid evening at Hampden...
...so much so that the Croatian was forced to take a hands-on approach to stopping the winger
‘I just believe that if I’m good enough to be on the pitch then I should be up to whoever I’m against.
‘Gvardiol’s one of the best in the world, isn’t he? So it’s good to test yourself against players of that calibre.
‘We both had our moments when we got the better of each other, but I’ve loved both games against him.
‘At the goal it looked like I shot, but I didn’t actually mean to — I just tried to smash it across the six-yard box and cause a bit of carnage.
‘As it went, that’s what happened, we got that wee bit of luck and it fell to John to put it away.’
He admitted the red card handed out to Petar Sucic just moments before the interval gave the Scots a helping hand having spent much of the opening 45 minutes consigned to their own half.
But he hailed the performance of his side to get the three points and earn a much-needed confidence boost for both the team and Tartan Army ahead of this week’s trip to Warsaw.
He said: ‘The red card definitely helped us. It gave me the room to do what I do best, which is get at the full-back.
Doak savours the match-winning moment after McGinn's late goal stopped Scotland's rot
‘I don’t really notice the crowd during the game, to be honest. Everything just seems to black out except what’s happening on the pitch.
‘Obviously I noticed it all at the goal, I enjoyed that. It was good to see everyone in Hampden so happy, because we were due a win.’
On his standing ovation following his withdrawal in the closing stages, he added: ‘I thought they just did that for every sub, to be honest!
‘I try to do my best for the team and do what I do best. If I can help us win the game then I help us win the game.
‘I didn’t want to take the long way round, I wanted to waste a bit of time. But you do what the ref tells you.
‘You don’t want any silly bookings. It’s nice to get a round of applause from everyone in the stadium.’
