Sporting Kansas City forward Johnny Russell started and played 67 minutes on Thursday as the Scotland Men’s National Team took a 2-1 loss to Israel in the UEFA Nations League.
Earning his third international start and his eighth career cap, Russell helped Scotland to a strong start as Charlie Mulgrew converted a 25th-minute penalty kick to put the visitors ahead at Sammy Ofer Stadium in Haifa, Israel. The lead would evaporate after halftime, however, as Israel equalized through Dor Peretz in the 54th minute before an own goal on 74 minutes completed the comeback.
The result leaves Group 1 in UEFA Nations League C wide open, with all three teams sitting on three points. Scotland, Israel and Albania will complete their home-and-away, double-round robin in November. The first-place team will secure promotion to League B for the 2020-21 UEFA Nations League, while the third-place finisher faces possible relegation do League D.
2018-19 UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE C: GROUP 1
| # | TEAM | PTS | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD |
| 1 | Scotland | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 |
| 2 | Israel | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 3 | Albania | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -1 |
🎶 Johnny Russell, run down the wing for me 🎶#ForGloryForCountry pic.twitter.com/0x7gpK8ztU
— x – Sporting KC (@SportingKC) October 11, 2018
Donning the No. 10 jersey as a forward alongside Steven Naismith, Russell put in an active shift over the course of 67 minutes, exiting with the game tied at 1-1. The Sporting KC winger won a game-high four fouls in the first half as Scotland went to the break holding a one-goal advantage.
With Thursday’s contest in the books, Scotland will now return to home soil for a friendly with world No. 7-ranked Portugal on Sunday at Hampden Park in Glasgow. Kickoff is slated for 11 a.m. CT with a live stream on ESPN+.
Russell has collected four of his eight caps since joining Sporting KC at the start of 2018. Each of his first four international appearances came from 2014-2015, underscoring his marked renaissance in Kansas City. Russell leads Sporting KC in goals (11) and assists (11) across all competitions, including nine goals and nine assists in MLS play. Following Sunday’s friendly against Portugal, Russell will travel to Vancouver to join his club for Wednesday’s pivotal matchup with the Whitecaps.
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