John McGinn has called Scotlands 3-0 Nations League defeat to Switzerland at Hampden Park a big setback and insisted the side must use it as a learning experience, after Jack Hendrys red card inside the opening quarter-hour stripped the hosts of any chance of getting their Group B1 campaign off the ground. Hendrys initial yellow card for a foul was upgraded to a red by VAR in the 11th minute, and Switzerland made their numerical advantage count almost immediately when Ruben Vargas was tripped in the area and Zeki Amdounis club team-mate Fabian Rodriguez stepped up to convert the penalty in the 12th. Nico Elvedi doubled the lead before half-time as Dan Ndoye caused Scotland relentless problems, and Zeki Amdouni added a third to complete a ruthless Murat Yakin sides second consecutive clean sheet. The result leaves Sebastien Pocognolis side, who drew 0-0 away to Slovenia on Saturday in the managers debut, bottom of Group B1 with one point from two games. Switzerland sit top.McGinn, one of the few Scotland players to emerge with any credit, acknowledged the scale of the evenings damage while pointing to the fact that a squad still adjusting to an entirely new coaching approach under the 39-year-old Belgian, who replaced Steve Clarke in August.We could have done better at times but were starting a new chapter, learning to play a different way, the Aston Villa captain said. That was a big setback for us. Weve got a lot to learn from tonight but a lot to take from it as well.I thought Oli McBurnie was outstanding. Hes had a lot of criticism in a Scotland shirt but tonight was a thankless task and he gave everything for us.Going down to 10 men, its a test of character, you need to dig in. Its a huge learning curve for us and when we play them away we need to win now.That reverse fixture, Scotland travelling to Switzerland for the Matchday 4 encounter, now carries enormous weight in terms of whether Pocognolis side can remain competitive in the promotion race. Switzerlands superior goal difference after two games gives them a buffer the Scots will need to claw back. Topics John McGinn Scotland National Football Team Add us as a preferred source on Google If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read Scotland vs Switzerland live: Confirmed teams and line ups Ben Miller 29th September, 2026 Scotland v Switzerland: Preview, expected line-ups, stats and where to watch Mitch Fretton 29th September, 2026 Pocognoli insists Scotland can take positives from Nations League draw: In the second half we had a game Mitch Fretton 26th September, 2026 Slovenia 0-0 Scotland: Report, result and goals as Tartan Army find no way through in Nations League Mitch Fretton 26th September, 2026 Slovenia vs Scotland: Line-ups confirmed for Nations League clash Mitch Fretton 26th September, 2026 Slovenia v Scotland: Preview, expected line-ups, stats and where to watch Nicholas McGee 25th September, 2026
