Kieran Tierney‘s Scotland were eliminated from the European Championships last night after defeat to Croatia, but the Arsenal man was full of admiration and respect for their rivals.
The Scots were downed 3-1 at Hampden Park to see them knocked out of the group stages with just one point, while each of Croatia, England and the Czech Republic move through into the next round.
Tierney was refusing to lose his head after the loss however, giving praise to Modric and their opponents on the whole, describing them as both ‘magnificent’ and ‘unbelieveable’.
“The Modric goal knocked the stuffing out of us because we knew we were going to have to score two,” Kieran said after the final whistle(via RTE).
“And we knew the way the game was going it was going to be hard because they were unbelievable.
“Modric, especially, I think his performance was incredible. And as a team Croatia were magnificent.
“It was just tough to play against.
“Callum’s goal gave us every chance. It was a tough first half but it was the perfect time to score and give us more confidence going into the second half. But, it never turned out to be that special night.
“We knew once it was 2-1 it was going to be tough.
“But we never gave up, that’s for sure. We never gave up trying. Our effort was always there, no matter the score-line, no matter the minute.”
While you can’t help but feel bad for Tierney, especially after his respectful words for his opponents, I can’t help but feel a little relieved that he didn’t showcase his talents further at the competition, as I believe some hugee clubs around Europe could definitely profit by signing a player of his ability.
We have a diamond in KT, and I hope that reports of a new deal will prove to be true so that any worries about losing him in the near future can drift away.
Patrick