Rodri in Scotland reverse ferret as sheepish Spain skipper in shock climbdown over brutal barbs

Spain captain Rodri swerved the brutal Scotland criticism which provoked such a strong reaction during his petulant post match interview when speaking to the Spanish media - as he PRAISED Steve Clarke's heroes.

Scott McTominay’s double claimed a historic 2-0 win to hand Scotland the advantage in Group A and with Norway held to a 1-1 draw in Georgia the Tartan Army are already dreaming of another tournament after a perfect start to qualification. Scotland may be in pole position, but Spanish skipper Rodri refused to give Clarke's side any credit after the full-time whistle in a raging post-match debrief.

The Manchester City midfielder accused the Hampden heroes of diving and time wasting antics and claiming that their approach to the game had been “rubbish" in a brutal post-match TV takedown immediately after the match. He was joined by teammates Dani Cebellos and David Garcia in scrambling to find an excuse for the defeat as with the duo pointing to the pitch at the national stadium for Spain's stumble in the group.

But Rodri abruptly changed his tune when speaking to the Spanish press. Despite his own scattergun attack on Scotland post-match, he shut down comments from his teammates on the standard of the pitch. And despite rinsing the performance from the home side, he walked back the digs offering Scotland some plaudits for the display. In a hasty change of tune, Rodri told Teledeporte: "They played a good game.

"The pitch is no excuse, they have their conditions and we have to adapt. The first goal put us in tow and it's difficult against a line of five that are locked up. We have had chances but we have to be more effective".

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