Liam Scales’ rise at Celtic has helped to put his international career with the Republic of Ireland on a big upward trajectory over the last season and a half.
Scales earned his ninth cap for Ireland against England last night after impressing since coming into the international fold in a 2-0 defeat to Greece back in October 2023.
But last night saw Celtic fans see a different turn for Scales after he got the nod to start against England and after keeping Jude Bellingham and Co in check for 51 minutes, this happened:
Scales was already on a yellow card and the match referee deemed his challenge worthy of a second booking and the Celtic defender was sent for an early bath.
From there, the ceiling collapsed and the Irish succumbed to a 5-0 defeat after England took full advantage of that extra man.
And speaking about the red card, former Celtic player and Manchester United legend, Roy Keane, pulled no punches with his verdict on the the ordering off and the full Irish performance.
Roy Keane slams Celtic’s Liam Scales’ ‘stupidity’
Keane said on ITV, “It’s the worst yellow card you can get as a centre-back. I used to do stuff like that and now I look at it and think, that’s stupidity.
“The sending-off has a huge effect. It’s obviously the right decision and with the penalty.
“They lost belief very quickly. They lost a bit of confidence – they lost three goals in six or seven minutes. It was a long way back for them.
“They conceded two or three from set pieces. It is hugely disappointing when you think about where they were at half-time.
“We said at half-time that England have the quality, but after the sending off it’s the real lack of belief after going a goal down.”
Liam Scales’ Republic of Ireland record since Celtic defender’s first cap
As previously said, Scales earned his first cap for the Republic of Ireland in a 2-0 defeat to Greece last year.
Since then, the Celtic stopper has been capped on eight other occasions. So here is how he has fared:
- Gibraltar 0 v 4 Republic of Ireland. Scales starred for 74 minutes.
- Netherlands 1 v 0 Republic of Ireland. A full 90 minutes for the Celtic defender.
- Republic of Ireland 2 v 1 Hungary. Just 45 minutes on the clock for Scales in this win.
- Portugal 3 v 0 Republic of Ireland. Another 90 minutes in a difficult night for Scales.
- Finland 1 v 2 Republic of Ireland. A good away win with another full 90 for the Hoops man.
- Greece 2 v 0 Republic of Ireland. A hard night in Athens as Scales gets another full match under his belt.
- Republic of Ireland 1 v 0 Finland. A clean sheet for the Celtic man.
- England 5 v 0 Republic of Ireland. A nightmare night for Scales and the Irish.
Four wins and five defeats is not a bad record for an Ireland team who are currently in a rebuilding state. The Celtic fans will be hoping that Scales’ disappointing night won’t hurt his confidence too much as Brendan Rodgers takes his team to Tynecastle this Saturday night.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
