John Souttar escapes major embarrassment in ‘disaster’ away from Rangers
Rangers are not in action until Saturday, but John Souttar has been busy away on international duty.
Souttar was one of the standout performers for Scotland as they earned a 1-0 victory over Greece in the UEFA Nations League on Thursday (20 March), with Kris Boyd describing his performance as “immense”.
However, things did not go according to plan for the Tartan Army as they succumbed to a 3-0 defeat against Greece in the return leg in front of their own fans at Hampden on Sunday (23 March), thus losing the tie 3-1 on aggregate and dropping down to League B of the Nations League as a result.
Souttar makes Rangers proud
Being a part of a team that conceded three goals is never good news for a centre-back, but Souttar can certainly take pride in his performance as Scottish media hailed him as the team’s best defender of the game.
The defender played the full 90 minutes and completed 71 of his 78 passes with 91 per cent accuracy [FotMob] while registering 85 touches.
It is worth noting seven of those passes were played into the final third. Having also completed six of the 10 long balls he attempted, Souttar was evidently willing to take risks in possession in a bid to help Steve Clarke’s side attack.
| Minutes | Touches | Accurate Passes | Passes Into Final Third | Accurate Long Balls | Duels Won | Clearances |
| 90 | 85 | 71/78 (91%) | 7 | 6/10 (60%) | 5/5 (100%) | 3 |
One of his standout moments from the game was a goalline clearance to deny Vangelis Pavlidis in the 66th minute.
Souttar had two more clearances to his name, while making as many recoveries and a block.
The Rangers star was also faulted in duels as he won both of his ground duels, as well as all three of his attempts in the air.
Souttar shines in Scotland disaster
It was a disaster for Scotland to take a one-goal lead in the tie and then concede thrice in the return leg at home to suffer relegation in the Nations League.
However, Souttar was one of only a few players to impress for the Tartan Army, with John McGinn and Scott McTominay being the other standout performers.
The defender will, therefore, return to Ibrox on the back of two impressive performances on the international stage.