50-cap Scotland man issues timely reminder to Pocognoli in thumping win as teammate ends 165-day wait

Scotland international Che Adams fired a timely reminder of his talents to head coach Sebastien Pocognoli by bagging his third goal of the campaign in Torino’s dominant 3-0 win over Parma on Monday night.

Ruled out of the Belgian’s inaugural Scotland squad for last month’s Nations League games against Slovenia, Switzerland and North Macedonia, Adams’ goal was sandwiched in between a brace from Giovanni Simeone as Torino moved into the top half of the Serie A table.

Making his fourth league start of the season, Torino went 1-0 up through Simeone after just four minutes. The experienced Argentinian striker connected wonderfully to Rafik Belghali's right-wing cross to blast home beyond Edoardo Corvi to hand the visitors an early lead, scoring his first league goal since May 8.

Adams scored his second goal in his last three games in Torino's 3-0 win over Parma on Monday night. | Getty Images

Adams then helped his side double the lead just 20 minutes later, reacting quickest to a deflected shot from Simeone to nod home the rebound into the net. The forward was forced to endure a tense VAR review, with the goal flagged for a potential offside, but it was worth the delay for the Scotland striker after he was shown to be in line with the defender and the goal was officially awarded.

Torino then made sure of the win with a stunning third on 69 minutes, with Simeone driving at the Parma goal before unleashing a stunning 25-yard drive into the top corner to seal his side’s third win in their last five games.

Capped 50 times by Scotland, the 30-year-old was a regular in Steve Clarke’s squad after making his international debut as a second-half substitute in a 2-2 draw with Austria back in 2021. He was named in the World Cup squad in the summer and played in all three group games as the national team exited the tournament early.

However, he was not included in the Scotland squad last month as the team returned to action for the first time since the tournament in North America, with Torino confirming that he had suffered a thigh strain during a training session right before Pocognoli announced his first Scotland squad.

The 39-year-old boss later explicitly clarified that Adams' absence was purely due to his injury issue, grouping him with other absentees like Lawrence Shankland and Scott McTominay. Pocognoli opted to recall Hull City’s Oli McBurnie in place of the Torino hitman last month, though the Tigers frontman struggled, failing to score in any of Scotland’s four Nations League games.

Returning to fitness and form in recent weeks, Adams’ second goal in his last three games is food for thought for the Scotland boss, who is expected to name his squad for the games against Switzerland and North Macedonia in early November. “There will maybe be some changes, but I think we need to keep some stability, 100 per cent,” said Pocognoli last month when discussing potential changes in his next camp.

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