Scotland suffered a humiliating 3-0 defeat to Greece at Hampden Park, resulting in their relegation from the Nations League, with midfielder John McGinn branding their performance 'embarrassing'.
Steve Clarke's side were well beaten in Glasgow as Greece claimed a 3-1 aggregate victory in the play-off tie.
The hosts had started the match positively with a couple of early chances, but their performance quickly deteriorated after conceding.
Giannis Konstantelias, Konstantinos Karetsas and Christos Tzolis all found the net in Glasgow to give Greece victory.
Scotland suffered a humiliating 3-0 defeat to Greece at Hampden Park, resulting in their relegation from the Nations League, with midfielder John McGinn branding their performance 'embarrassing'
REUTERS
The disappointing result leaves Scotland facing a period of reflection before they prepare for their World Cup qualification campaign.
The defeat has been described as "embarrassing" by players, with the team acknowledging they were outplayed by their opponents.
Midfielder McGinn didn't hold back in his assessment of the team's performance, calling it "an embarrassing night for us".
"Everyone is flat in the stadium, we let ourselves down," the Aston Villa star said.
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Scotland were outplayed by Greece as they lost 3-0 in Sunday's Nations League clash
REUTERS
He pointed to specific issues with Scotland's attacking play, noting there was "no threat in behind, probably too easy to pick up".
McGinn also suggested the defeat could serve as motivation for future fixtures, saying: "That will maybe give us a kick up the backside for the World Cup qualifiers - we know they are no mugs."
"Tonight shows we need to be much better if we want to get to the World Cup."
Norwich City midfielder Kenny McLean echoed McGinn's sentiments about the disappointing result.
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"Difficult to take. We put so much into the first leg and knew they were a good team," McLean said.
"To work so hard to get into the position we were in and kind of throw it away there is really disappointing."
McLean acknowledged the need for improvement, particularly with Greece featuring in their upcoming fixtures.
"We need to get better. We're going to play Greece in the near future so we know we cannot underestimate them in the slightest," he stated.
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Scotland manager Steve Clarke admitted his side were second best on the night.
"We didn't have enough energy in the team," Clarke said. "Greece had more energy. They were a little bit sharper. The best team won on the night."
The Scotland boss suggested fatigue may have been a factor following the away leg.
Scotland boss Steve Clarke admitted that Greece were worthy winners on Sunday
REUTERS
"It may be something to look at, the fact that you go out there, you put in a big shift out there, you have the long travel back. Maybe we weren't quite recovered in time," he reflected.
Clarke now faces the challenge of rebuilding his squad's confidence before their World Cup qualification campaign begins.
Scotland will play two friendlies this summer as preparation for those crucial qualifiers.
