Scotland 2-1 North Macedonia: McGinn brace lifts Pocognoli's side but table still lags

John McGinn scored twice as Scotland beat North Macedonia 2-1 at Hampden Park on Friday 13 November 2026, a result that keeps Sébastien Pocognoli's side third in UEFA Nations League B Group 1 with one match left to play. McGinn opened the scoring in the 54th minute, Elmin Rastoder equalised for North Macedonia three minutes later, and McGinn converted a 74th-minute penalty to settle it. The win moves Scotland to seven points, one behind second-placed Slovenia, with table-topping Switzerland to come on Monday.

The match itself was not close on the underlying numbers. Scotland had 54 per cent possession, 18 shots to North Macedonia's seven, six shots on target to two, six big chances to one, and nine corners to five. Their expected goals figure was 3.58 against North Macedonia's 0.26. That is a chasm between chance creation and final score. Scotland scored twice from 3.58 expected goals, a difference of minus 1.58. The finishing, on this one night, ran colder than the build-up play deserved.

Scotland's expected goals here was 3.58, against an average of 1.78 across their earlier 2026 matches. Their open-play expected goals was 1.88, against an earlier average of 0.91. Their nine corners here came against an earlier 2026 average of 4.6. The attacking volume and chance quality were both higher than the side's recent baseline. The points return, though, remains the thing that shapes the table.

Under Pocognoli, Scotland's League B record in 2026 stands at one win, one draw and two defeats from four matches, a return of 1.0 points per game. Under Steve Clarke in the same competition in 2022, Scotland took 4W 1D 1L from six games, 2.17 points per game. That comparison is not like for like in sample size — four league matches is too short to call a trend, and the squad available to Pocognoli has been reshuffled by defensive withdrawals. Stephen Welsh and Luis Binks were both sidelined, with Ryan Porteous and David Bates called up as cover.

McGinn's brace was his 24th international goal, moving him joint-third on Scotland's all-time scorers list, six behind Kenny Dalglish and Denis Law. Whether Scotland can secure second place with a result against Switzerland on Monday is the immediate question. The table, for now, says third.