Ben Doak’s strong start to the season continued on his debut for the Scotland Under-21s, with the Liverpool winger scoring just seven minutes after coming on.
Doak made a £600,000 move from Celtic to Liverpool earlier in the summer and immediately settled into a key role in the under-18 team.
He scored twice on his U18 Premier League debut before finding the goal on his first start in the UEFA Youth League as well, and so far his record stands at four goals and three assists in six appearances.
It was perhaps no surprise, then, that he caught the eye of Scotland Under-21 manager Scot Gemmell, who called him up for two friendlies against Northern Ireland this month.
Still just 16, he served as a huge opportunity to impress when he replaced Lewis Neilson off the bench just 31 minutes after the meeting in Belfast on Thursday afternoon.
And seven minutes after taking his place on the right, the teenager scored his first goal.
?? Ben Doak with his first goal for #SCO21s – our second of the afternoon.#YoungTeampic.twitter.com/a5Ih06VtOz
— Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) September 22, 2022
It came after an impressive through ball, splitting the Northern Ireland defense to allow Doak to cut inside and drive towards goal, finishing well off goalkeeper Dermot Mee’s near post to make it 2-0.
In doing so, he broke Billy Gilmour’s record to become the youngest goalscorer in Scotland under-21 history, and also established himself as the second-youngest player to appear.
Josh Mulligan made it 3-0 for Scotland before a consolation effort from Northern Ireland’s Chris McKee ensured the game finished 3-1.
Doak was keen to add to his debut goal as he kept busy on the right flank, but struggled to further seal his influence, with Mulligan taking the ball off his foot to score the third.
The 16-year-old hopes to add another appearance in the reverse encounter on Sunday, with Gemmell potentially giving him a start depending on Neilson’s fitness.
Share This Event
