Sébastien Pocognoli sees his home match ruined by a red card

In his first home match in charge of Scotland, Sébastien Pocognoli saw his ambitions shattered by the red card given to Jack Hendry. The Scottish side eventually conceded three goals and lost 0‑3, while the manager expressed his dismay.

The red card that changed everything

The incident occurred within the first fifteen minutes, when a penalty was initially awarded but then turned into a free kick after VAR intervention. This free kick led to the dismissal of Jack Hendry, former defender of Ostend and Club Brugge, who was then playing in the Pro League.

Switzerland took advantage of this free kick to open the scoring, then exploited its numerical advantage to add two more goals, sealing a 0‑3 defeat. The match highlighted the difficulty of playing with ten men against a well‑organized team.

“It’s not easy to play with ten against a good team like Switzerland. It was very frustrating,” Sébastien Pocognoli said at the press conference quoted by The Glasgow Times. He added that he had received a warm welcome which made the situation all the more sad.

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“This unfortunate red card, punished by a goal, is the worst scenario. Jack Hendry’s red card is a red card for all of us. We remain united and embed this moment in our DNA,” the manager, nicknamed Poco, continued.

Consequences and upcoming challenges

The foul by the former defender, coming from the Pro League, resulted from a poorly managed action beforehand, according to Pocognoli. He believes this imbalance marked the beginning of the end of the match, despite a good start for Scotland.

The next clash in North Macedonia already carries crucial importance. The opponent, last in the group after two defeats, forces the Tartan Army to secure a result to revive collective motivation, according to Pocognoli.