McLeish said his players acquitted themselves well against South Africa

"I was happy with the way it turned out. I'd asked the players to press the ball and we chased shadows for a while," said McLeish.

"The South Africans knocked it about really well.

"Their touch was great, their speed was fantastic and they look an extremely fit side."

Interview: Scotland manager Alex McLeish

Interview: Scotland striker Kris Boyd

McLeish said he was pleased with Scotland's performance in the second half against the South Africans.

"After we changed the formation and tightened up a wee bit - and decided not to go after the ball the way we did in the first half - then I thought we looked much better," he said.

McLeish joked that goalscorer Kris Boyd now had the tag "super-sub" after coming off the bench to score the 71st minute winner.

Looking ahead to Scotland's Euro 2008 qualifying games against Lithuania and France, McLeish said: "We've got a lot of experienced players to come back.

"But what I know now is that the guys who have been shining in Scottish football have come through with flying colours tonight."