Ben Doak’s turn sent Gvardiol for a Haggis supper – & confirmed he’s the Scottish Messi

Cast your mind back to the 2022 World Cup and one of the tournament’s most iconic moments was Lionel Messi’s assist against Croatia in the semi-finals.

Picking the ball up on the halfway line, Messi proceeded to ragdoll Josko Gvardiol with a jaw-dropping turn and the dribbling prowess of a toddler with an excess of saliva.

Gvardiol had been widely touted as the World Cup’s best defender before Messi metaphorically sat him down, but being subjected to the Argentinian’s other-worldly talent is understandable.

We’re delighted to report that it happened again on Friday night at Hampden Park – and it was all thanks to the Tunnocks Messi.

During Scotland’s 1-0 win over Croatia in the Nations League, a result that postponed the Scot’s relegation to League B, Ben Doak received the ball on the halfway line after a period of Croatian pressure.

The famous Hampden roar had morphed into the Hampden hum. Doak would change all that.

As the £77million Manchester City defender Gvardiol loomed into Doak’s personal space, the youngster sent him for a Haggis supper with a simultaneous turn and nutmeg.

His pass to Scott McTominay didn’t result in a goal, but Hampden was re-engaged and roared its approval. Scotland didn’t look back, with Doak subjecting Gvardiol to a dark night of the soul with his relentless skill.

And it was the Middlesbrough loanee who provided the assist for John McGinn’s late winner with a dart to the touchline and inch-perfect pull-back. Not bad for just his fifth Scotland cap.

BEN DOAK THAT IS INSANE 🤯 pic.twitter.com/ggpLdhH8Z9

— . (@ChiesaLFC) November 15, 2024

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“Gvardiol’s one of the best in the world, isn’t he?,” Doak said after  So it’s good to test yourself against players of that calibre. We both had our moments when we got the better of each other, but I’ve loved both games against him.

“When I went past him early in the first half I didn’t realise it had gone through his legs, I just flicked it and hoped it’d come out the other side, which it did. We were unfortunate not to score from that one, but it was another moment I enjoyed.

“I don’t see faces on the park, I just see a kit and a blank face. I don’t take notice of reputations. I just believe that if I’m good enough to be on the pitch then I should be up to whoever I’m against.

“At the goal it looked like I shot, but I didn’t actually mean to – I just tried to smash it across the six-yard box and cause a bit of carnage. As it went, that’s what happened. We got that wee bit of luck and it fell to John to put it away.”

Gvardiol was finally spared when Steve Clarke decided to replace Doak in the first minute of injury time, to run down the clock.

It also gave the Tartan Army an opportunity to hand the teenager a richly deserved standing ovation as he took the long walk around the Hampden track.

Doak said: “I thought they just did that for every sub to be honest! I didn’t want to take the long way round, I wanted to waste a bit of time. But you do what the ref tells you.

“You don’t want any silly bookings. It’s nice to get a round of applause from everyone in the stadium. But it was great. I really enjoyed the game out there, especially the second half.

“The red card definitely helped us. It gave me the room to do what I do best, which is get at the full-back.

“I don’t really notice the crowd during the game, to be honest. Everything just seems to black out except what’s happening on the pitch.

“Obviously I noticed it all at the goal, I enjoyed that. It was good to see everyone in Hampden so happy, because we were due a win.”

Doak now has two Hampden assists to his name from five caps. And while Clarke has a reputation of playing it safe when it comes to young talent, there’s little doubt even the head coach is on board the Doak bandwagon.

And his exploits against Gvardiol will have caught the attention of Arne Slot and the coaching staff at Liverpool. Doak is considered to have a bright future at Anfield and will surely be placed in the first-team when he returns from his Middlesbrough loan.

Not many people treat Gvardiol as a mannequin. Only Messi and his Scottish equivalent have managed that.

By Michael Lee