The 'insane' Scotland mentality change Che Adams can't get enough of despite Croatia rescue act being cut short

Che Adams thought he’d swooped to Scotland’s rescue and at last provided the nation with a last-gasp hero of their own in Zagreb.

In the end, the narrowest of VAR calls denied the striker the plaudits for saving the day against Croatia. But the fact it was yet more stoppage-time heartache for Steve Clarke’s side has only convinced the Torino hitman that the national team are ticking forward in the right direction.

It’s four straight losses now for the Scots and while that woeful sequence has equalled the country’s worst ever run of defeats, they have all come by the narrowest of margins at the worst possible moment. From Kevin Csoboth’s 100th-minute strike for Hungary that burried the final nail in our Euros coffin to late agony in the Nations League defeats to Poland and Portugal, it’s been nothing but stomach-wrenching blows in the final stages for Clarke and co.

And on Saturday, it was Scotland pushing for a draw as Adams forced Kristijan Jakic to fire the ball into his own net at the Stadion Maksimir. But the end result was just as frustrating as Adams was flagged offside by the telly officials and the point-saving goal chopped off.

“Yes, it's definitely frustrating,” said the frontman. “That shows how much we've grown as a nation to come up against these teams.

“For it to go down to the last millisecond or the last decisive moment is a huge bonus to us. It definitely changes everyone's mentality to believe in the right things and what the manager wants from us.

“I think it's credit to us and it's credit to the coaching staff to put us in that situation. It was an amazing feeling to think we had the draw there in Zagreb.

“I just thought the ball was there and I had to go for it. I've obviously kicked it off the guy.