Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Scots keep up winning form
Kazakh comeback makes good reading for play-offs
SCOTLAND bounced back from a goal down to see off Kazak hstan 3-1 at Hampden last night as they go into next year’s Euro 2020 play-offs in good form.
Following wins over San Marino and Cyprus, the Scots came from a goal down, after Baktiyar Zaynutdinov had given the visitors the lead, to finish third in Euro 2020 qualifying Group I.
A second-half John McGinn brace and Steven Naismith strike won the day for Steve Clarke’s men who enacted revenge on the Kazakhs for March’s 3-0 defeat and now enter crucial play-offs.
Scotland were unchanged from the 2-1 win i n Cyprus last Saturday with Naismith leading the line as captain.
Two of the scorers in the Scots’ 3-0 defeat to open the campaign in Kazakhstan – Yuriy Pertsukh and Zaynutdinov – started.
However, it was Clarke’s men who began the brighter, with the first clear-cut chance of the game on 11 minutes.
Celtic winger James Forrest turned his marker i nside-out down the left before picking out club-mate Callum McGregor who fired over inside the box.
The Kazakhs sought to frustrate Scotland with rigid defending, often with 10 men behind the ball in the early stages.
However, they broke well and registered the game’s first shot on target on 16 minutes when Aleksey Shchotkin slid in at the back post but Wigan keeper David Marshall was more than a match to it in the home goal. That was a warning for things to come.
Aston Villa man McGinn went close on 18 minutes after another cutback from Forrest.
Forrest then went himself on 27 minutes when he fired in low at Dmytro Nepohodov but it was a comfortable save for the Kazakh No 1.
Moments later, after nice interplay from McGinn and Ryan Jack, scorer i n Cyprus Ryan Christie’s curling effort forced Nepohodov into a smart save.
From the resultant short corner a backwards header from Naismith tested Nepohodov.
However, on 34 minutes it was Kazakhstan who took the lead against the run of play.
Shchotkin played in Zaynutdinov to rifle in a curling effort from 20 yards out and come back to haunt Scotland once more.
On 39 minutes the Scots had their best chance of the half as Liam Palmer laid in Jack but the Rangers man saw his close-range effort saved.
On the stroke of half-time, Christie fired a free-kick from 25 yards out over the bar as Scotland went in one-down at the break.
Three minutes into the second period the Scots equalised after
Naismith did well to draw a free-kick on the edge of the area.
McGinn took to power home, via the aid of a big deflection, his sixth Scotland goal in as many games.
Soon after, the Scots nearly took the lead. McGinn’s reverse found left-back Greg Taylor careering into the box.
Taylor’s pull-back fell to Forrest but he could only fire over after some hesitation.
After being fed by Jack, Naismith blasted over inside the box after a delightful first touch.
And the Hearts attacker conspired to miss again after more fine work from Palmer.
Just after the hour-mark McGregor smashed an effort across the goal that could’ve gone anywhere as Scotland pressed to take the lead.
And they did just that on 64 minutes when Palmer’s deflected cross found Naismith in the box to nod home his 10th goal for the national team – just reward for a fine evening for the skipper.
In the first minute of stoppage time McGinn got his second of the night to seal the win as he connected with Taylor’s cross inside the six-yard box.