Scotland manager George Burley was upbeat despite a 1-0 defeat by Macedonia in the opening World Cup qualifier in Group Nine.
"I thought we were outstanding in the second half," he said.
"It was difficult conditions and all the team said we had a stonewall penalty turned down."
The defeat means Scotland will look to take something from Wednesday's clash with Iceland and Burley added: "Every game you're looking to pick up points."
Burley praised his side for showing "courage and spirit" in the second-half in Skopje and believed they deserved a point.
Scotland now travel to Reykjavik for Wednesday's World Cup qualifier and Burley acknowledges the side need to take something from the game.
"We showed in the second half we are capable of picking up points away," he added. "We have to keep battling.
"Every game you're looking to pick up points. Of course, you want to try to get as many early in your campaign. But it just wasn't to be."
Captain Stephen McManus played down the impact of the searing heat in Skopje.
"It was warm but we did better in the second half and they tired. The heat wasn't a major factor," the defender said.
"We were maybe a bit intimidated at the start and worried about not getting too close to them in case we ran out of steam.
"We're disappointed not to get something out of the game."
Rangers striker Kris Boyd came on as a late substitute and has targeted three points in Iceland.
He said: "We struggled. We had a couple of chances in the second half, but that was it. It wasn't great.
"We need three points in Iceland now - we've put ourselves in a difficult situation."
~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~34~RS~)