UEFA Under-17 Championship Finals
Denmark v Scotland
Ramat Gan Stadium, Ramat Gan
Friday, 20 May (12.30pm, UK)
Scotland's Under-17s are preparing to face Denmark on Friday in their second game of the Euros.
Keen to shake off the disappointment of their opening-day defeat to Portugal, Brian McLaughlin's men have studied the footage, recognised the lapses that contributed to the result and drawn confidence from aspects of the performance that they hope to build on.
Left wing-back Magnus Mackenzie scored the Scots' consolation effort on the night - a wonder-strike on his weaker right foot.
While he'd have traded it for a more positive outcome for the team, the 17-year-old will at least cherish the moment of netting for his country on the elite stage.
That goal must have been a real bittersweet moment for you, Magnus?
It was. In the hotel, the night before, you dream of scoring and having a real impact on the game. When I scored, we were 3-0 down and I couldn't really celebrate. I thought it might be important in terms of giving us a foothold to get back into the match, but it wasn't to be. I'd obviously prefer that the team had got the result. Every boy in the squad would say the same.
Regardless of the outcome, it was a moment of real quality and even drew applause from the Portuguese ranks. What do you remember about the strike?
My first thought was that it gave us a real opportunity to mount a comeback. When we scored against the Czech Republic we were on the front foot for the rest of the game and it was the same against Georgia when we sealed qualification. I'm left-footed but I'm confident cutting in and shooting on my right. It's still something I want to improve on, but I have been practising it on my own. So it's good that something's come of that. Normally I'd look to stay wide, beat a man and get the cross in but I saw the open space and thought I could attack it. I was fortunate enough to get a clean strike and I was confident when it left my foot that it had a real chance.
It's clearly frustrated the group that the goals conceded were in the 'avoidable' category.
Yeah, that's the biggest thing. When a team cuts you open or produces something special it's sometimes easier to get your head around. I'm biased, and I know they had more chances on top of the goals they scored, but I don't think we deserved to lose 5-1 on general play. They scored three goals very quickly. We should have done a lot better with the ones we conceded. You watch it back and think 'that's a simple mistake' and it's the kind you might get away with in training. Given the level of player we're coming up against here, that's not going to happen in matches.
How have you found the overall experience so far?
It's the biggest competition I've been involved in. It's been a fantastic experience already and I know I'll take away a lot from it. Playing for Celtic's B team in the Lowland League this year has been beneficial. I feel like it's brought me on and improved my game, but this is another step up, playing against some of the most talented young players in Europe. I think we're the youngest squad in the tournament and they are one of the oldest. It doesn't sound like it would make much difference on paper, but in reality they were bigger and stronger than us. We need to deal with it.
What do you expect from Denmark on Friday?
Today was about analysing last night's game and we'll go into Denmark in more detail over the next couple of days, but we know they're another good team. They all are over here. No-one's downhearted after Portugal. There's just a determination with the boys to give a good account of ourselves.
How to watch?
All of Scotland's matches will be shown live by the BBC - on iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and the Red Button channel.
Scotland Under-17 Squad
Greig Allan Rangers
Cameron Bruce* Queen’s Park
Cameron Cooper* Partick Thistle
Josh Dede Celtic
Louis Jackson Manchester Utd
Jack Kingdom Manchester Utd
Ethan Laidlaw Hibernian
Dylan Lobban* Aberdeen
Magnus Mackenzie Celtic
Rory MacLeod* Dundee Utd
Rory Mahady Celtic
Charlie McArthur* Kilmarnock
Callan McKenna* Queen’s Park
Lennon Miller Motherwell
Craig Moore* Dundee Utd
Lewis O’Donnell Dundee Utd
Jacob Pazikas Rangers
Dylan Reid* St Mirren
Bailey Rice* Motherwell
Bobby Wales* Kilmarnock
Rory Wilson* Rangers
*Denotes Scottish FA JD Performance School participant
Fixtures
Scotland 1-5 Portugal
Lod Municipal Stadium, Lod
Tuesday, 17 May (6pm kick-off, UK)
Denmark v Scotland
Ramat Gan Stadium, Ramat Gan
Friday, 20 May (12.30pm, UK)
Sweden v Scotland
Lod Municipal Stadium, Lod
Monday, 23 May (6pm, UK)