Scotland boss Steve Clarke says football owed him some penalty-shootout joy after his last involvement with Chelsea saw John Terry infamously slip and miss in the Champions League final.
Clarke's side beat Israel in the country's first-ever shootout on Thursday night to set up a Euro 2020 playoff final in Serbia next month.
And the former Chelsea assistant said: 'To be fair, football owed me one in a shootout after the last one I was involved in, when John Terry slipped and missed what would have been our winning penalty (against Manchester United in 2008).
'So it was nice to come out on the right side of a shootout this time. They showed nerve. It was about big personalities and big characters in that situation.'
Clarke's preparation was disrupted when he lost Stuart Armstrong, Kieran Tierney and Ryan Christie after the former tested positive for Covid-19. Tierney and Christie had to self-isolate after coming into close contact with their team-mate.
But Scotland are now one game away from their first major tournament in 23 years, and Clarke added: 'I knew the character that was on the pitch. I knew the lads were determined to do it. Everything that was put in front of us this week could be classed as an obstacle.
'It might not have been a very pretty performance (the game ended goalless) but it was a performance with character and with heart.'
