The international break is shaping up nicely as several Celtic men appear on the scene for their countries ahead of the resumption of club football.
Overall, 13 Bhoys are on duty for their respective nations, giving Brendan Rodgers plenty of food for thought as he evaluates who could force their way into contention via their performances.
Last night, Anthony Ralston put his lack of minutes at club level to one side as the Celtic man played the entirety of Scotland’s penultimate Nations League match against Croatia at Hampden Park.
On a night where the visitors were reduced to ten men, the Tartan Army probed late on and eventually claimed a significant three points courtesy of John McGinn’s 85th minute winner.
With Scotland still in contention to progress from their Nations League group, here’s how the Celtic star was received among media circles after ousting Nicky Devlin for a start.
Media react after ‘solid’ Anthony Ralston display vs Croatia
Like most of his collegues, Ralston enjoyed a quiet but solid evening at home to Croatia, factoring in Croatia’s misfortune of going down to ten men on the stroke of half time.
Starting off, the Scotsman’s Mark Atkinson stated: “The right-back’s life was made difficult by the marauding runs of in-form defender Josko Gvardiol, who was not shy in supplementing Croatia’s forward line before the red card. He was able to become a more offensive presence after that and was a dependable presence behind Ben Doak, although had one hairy moment when Mario Pasalic shrugged him off, only to fire wide. 7.”
Moving on, Football Scotland offered the Celtic full-back a six out of ten for his efforts, stating: “A theme that will be recurring for many players here – a quiet but solid evening defensively.”
The National were complimentary after Ralston’s display, viewing his exploits as worthy of a seven out of ten: “Another Scotland start for the right-back, who has played a grand total of 74 minutes for Celtic since the last international break. He started both of the Scotland matches in October against Croatia and Portugal and didn’t let the nation down. Enjoyed another decent game, although was slightly fortuitous that Croatia didn’t score from his failed interception of a Modric pass.”
Sticking to the theme that the Lennoxtown graduate was a solid performer against an elite opponent, The Daily Mail added: “Anthony Ralston – 6. Stuck to his task with a hard-working display. Made a good block in the second half and got forward when he could.”
Finishing off, The Edinburgh News were less complimentary, as they noted: “Anthony Ralston – 4/10. Caught out of position too often. Fortunate to survive after being shugged off to easily by Pasalic in the second half. Passed the ball out of play under no pressure late on.”
Anthony Ralston once again doesn’t let Scotland down
While some sneer at his selection amid a lack of minutes in the Scottish Premiership this term, Ralston once again proved himself on a night at Hampden where there was enormous pressure on Scotland to claim a result.
The Tartan Army somehow remain in a scenario where progression to the Nations League quarter-final is plausible, even if they will need to rely on a string of permutations elsewhere falling their way.
Hopefully, Ralston can help Scotland over the line against Poland on Monday. With his nation finally claiming their first competitive victory of 2024, he deserves immense credit for sticking to his task.
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