OLIVER Burke says Scotland Under-21s can upset the odds and challenge for a place at Euro 2019.
Scot Gemmill’s youngsters kicked-off their qualifying campaign with a surprise victory over Holland on Tuesday night.
Few gave the Scots a chance of pipping the Dutch and top seeds England to claim a place at the finals in Italy before that opening clash.
But strikes from Burke and Stevie Mallan gave them a 2-0 win and the perfect start to their qualifying bid.
Now West Brom’s new £15 million signing reckons that victory can act as a spingboard for his side.
He said: “We are all very positive and we want to qualify just as every other team in the group does.
“It’s the perfect start and I’m so chuffed for the boys. It was a great start so I hope we can now carry things on.
“We have a top team, we have talent all over the park and we just need to make sure it continues coming together. We are still knitting as a group but you can tell already after a week of training that we have a great chemistry within the squad.”
Burke’s close-range strike was the first netted by the Scots at under-21 level in more than 10 hours of action following a goal drought that stretched back to March last year.
But the former Nottingham Forest and RB Leipzig striker says Gemmill’s current group are improving all the time.
“We have to keep it going and working hard and the goals will come,” said Burke, who skippered Scotland to victory. “You saw how patient we were in the first half against Holland, we had a few chances where it wasn’t falling for us and the final end product wasn’t there.
“In the second half the game started to open up, the Dutch started to get tired and they didn’t like it when we were running a lot and putting balls in behind.
“It showed a maturity and a togetherness as a team but we need to stay focused and look ahead to the next task which is against England. We need to keep pushing.”
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