Steve Clarke was relieved to end a tough week for Scotland on a high by hammering San Marino 6-0 for the Tartan Army's biggest win in four years.

After a 4-0 loss away to Russia last time out, Clarke urged his side to show that Euro 2020 qualifying defeat was "the very, very bottom of the lowest" for his side.

John McGinn hit a hat-trick in the first half against the worst team in the FIFA rankings as Scotland bounced back to move fourth in Group I, though they cannot finish in the top two to secure automatic qualification.

Scotland's hopes of reaching the finals rest on a play-off earned through their success in the Nations League, with Clarke praising his team's mentality as they turn their attention towards that goal.

"It's not often a Scotland team score six goals," Clarke told Sky Sports. "It's a nice reward at the end of a difficult week.

"They've got character and resilience. They were on a hiding to nothing tonight. They showed the character to come back from a bad blow.

"We're working towards an end target, which is the play-offs in March. We go to Cyprus one point behind with a chance to go above them."

Heavy rain and a sodden pitch made conditions increasingly difficult in the second half, but maiden international goals for Lawrence Shankland and Stuart Findlay extended Scotland's lead before Stuart Armstrong wrapped up the scoring with a peach of a free-kick.

"It was difficult to pass the ball," Clarke added. "We wanted to pass the ball. We moved the ball really well and very fast in the early part of the game, which got us in front.

"We wanted to do that in the second half, but obviously it started sticking in the puddles. We still managed to find the right passes into the box and got some good goals for us."