Andy Robertson of Scotland reacts following a loss in the international friendly match between Scotland and Ivory Coast at Hill Dickinson Stadium on March 31, 2026 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Kate McShane/Getty Images)placeholder image
Andy Robertson of Scotland reacts following a loss in the international friendly match between Scotland and Ivory Coast at Hill Dickinson Stadium on March 31, 2026 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Kate McShane/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Andy Robertson won his 92nd cap as Scotland fell to defeat at the hands of the Ivory Coast.
Andy Robertson became Scotland’s second-most capped player as they fell to defeat by the Ivory Coast.
The Liverpool left-back made his 92nd appearance for his country, moving ahead of Jim Leighton on the Tartan Army’s all-time list. Only Anfield legend Kenny Dalglish (102) sits ahead of Robertson.
The 32-year-old will skipper Scotland at this summer’s World Cup. But during the current international break, they suffered another loss at the hands of the Ivory Coast at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium. The Tartan Army were beaten by Japan last weekend.
Former Arsenal forward Nicolas Pepe scored the only goal for the Ivory Coast after 12 minutes. Manager Steve Clarke made sweeping changes but there were boos from Scotland fans at full-time.
However, Robertson’s performance was one of the positive, with those who watched the game from the media impressed. The National handed Robertson a player rating of 7/10 and said: “As ever, the captain showed a real willingness to bomb forward at will to try to make something happen. He delivered a number of fairly dangerous looking balls into the box, but a mixture of hesitation from attackers and good defending meant that final piece was missing for Scotland.”
Meanwhile, the Daily Record also gave Robertson a mark of 7 and commented: “Seemed to relish a run out at wing back with licence to go on the charge when possible and get balls into the box.”
The Scotsman agreed with the other publication and added: “The captain moved into outright second in the caps list with his 92nd appearance. In the city where he played his club football, Robertson was one of Scotland's better player. Was often the chief outlet in an attacking sense and perhaps all that was lacking was a killer final ball. Remains one of our most offensive players - even from left-back.”
Speaking on the loss, Robertson told BBC Sport: "It is a friendly. We want to win these games, but we are also trying stuff. You saw that with the amount of changes we made. The goal comes from us being in a new system and committing too many bodies in the box. We got caught with a counter-attack, which cannot happen after such a good start. The first ten minutes were excellent. There is a lot to learn, but there were really good signs in the second half. The fans that stayed behind after the full-time whistle showed their appreciation, which is much appreciated."
Robertson will have had a short journey home to begin his recovery ahead of Liverpool’s return to action. They face Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-final at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
Continue Reading