Scotland boss Steve Clarke saluted his side’s ‘solid start’ after a 2-0 win over Belarus kept them unbeaten in World Cup qualifying.
An instinctive finish from Che Adams and a second-half own goal were enough for the Scots to win a game they dominated.
Scotland are only behind Denmark by one goal after two games with two home games coming up – but Clarke remains cautious as he chases a first World Cup finals since 1998.
He said: “It was a tough night. We kept prodding, doing what we wanted to do. The message was just to stay patient and we managed to do that.
“It’s a good start, a solid start. Four points will never qualify you for anything. It’s nice to go home with a smile on your face, but I’m already thinking about next month.
“Billy [Gilmour] and Ben [Gannon-Doak] are two players who excite the public. My job is to pick a team to win the game. Both of them did very well.
“Clean sheets are what we have to build our campaign on.”
Scotland captain Andy Robertson felt Adams’ opener – his 10th for his country – was key to the win.
He said: “Job done. That’s the best way to describe it.
“We knew they would try to be a bit more secure and defensive. We just had to be patient and got the goal at the perfect time just before half-time.
“We could have had more, but a job well done.”
