Kevin Nisbet: This will be catalyst for Hibs striker on his international journey

Even as a final throw of the dice, it was asking too much of Kevin Nisbet.

Kevin Nisbet played all three of Scotland's games at Euro 2020.

Thrown on when the scoreline was already 3-1 and fewer than 10 minutes on the clock, the Hibs striker would have required a magic wand and some high level sorcery to have helped Scotland salvage the situation.

A team comprising many of the players who had managed to snatch triumph and ecstasy from the jaws of defeat to book their place at Euro 2020, the hope they had served up when they overcame Serbia in that play-off penalty shootout had already been dashed.

This was a team taking its final bow at a familiar stage of a major finals, exiting before the knockout stages.

But for Nisbet, as he and his team-mates applauded the fans at the final whistle, it will be a catalyst. For him, and fellow youngsters like Billy Gilmour and Nathan Patterson, this tournament represents the beginning. It was an opportunity well-earned to showcase their ability.

Offered hardly a touch of the ball as Croatia used all their experience to see the game out and starve the Scots of any snippet of encouragement as the clock ticked down far too quickly, the Scot – who made history by becoming the first Hibs player in nearly 50 years to play for Scotland at a major finals – will now turn his attentions back to club football and the kind of decisions he will need make to further his involvement in the Scotland set-up.

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