Battered by Belgians...
LUKAKU, HAZARD AND THE REST RUN THE SHOW AT HAMPDEN AS MCLEISH’S MEN FALL WELL SHORT IN FRIENDLY
YOU did not exactly need to be Hercule Poirot to figure out that Scotland were going to struggle to get a result in this encounter with Belgium.
Taking on the side that finished in third place in the Russia 2018 finals in the summer was always, even with home advantage, going to be a tall order for a young team that is very much in an embryonic stage in its development under a new manager.
Roberto Martinez fielded a side full of vastly-experienced internationals who ply their trade at some of the biggest and most glamorous clubs in Europe.
His opposite number Alex McLeish, meanwhile, is trying new players in an attempt to end years or failure and reach the next major tournament. It was never really any great mystery how it was all going to end up.
But the margin of the defeat – the heaviest Scotland have suffered at Hampden since that 5-0 humiliation to England back in 1973 – was still painful as was the way it came about.
Scotland had started so impressively. For just shy of half an hour they retained the ball well, attacked with pace, showed creativity in the final third and were untroubled defensively. Their illustrious rivals were limited to ambitious attempts from outside the penalty box.
Then they pressed the self-destruct button. They gifted their opponents three of their four goals with needless and inexcusable errors. It was a harsh reminder to them that any mistake is punished ruthlessly at international level.
They will not face many teams as slick and skilful in their forthcoming Nations League campaign – which gets underway with a game against Albania at Hampden
‘‘ If they are so sloppy in future, far lesser teams will capitalise
on Monday – or in Euro 2020 qualifying after that.
It is to be hoped their morale is not damaged by this heavy reverse. But if they are so sloppy in their general play in future, far lesser teams will capitalise and more defeats will be suffered.
McGinn was the first to err in the 28th minute. He failed to control the ball after Craig Gordon rolled it to his feet. Mousa Dembele pounced and stole possession before supplying Thorgan Hazard outside him.
The Borussia Moenchengladbach man could have shot himself, but chose to square to his team-mate Romelu Lukaku who was lurking in front of an open goal. The Manchester United striker had time to control the ball on his left foot and stroke into an inviting net with his right.
McGinn looked on helplessly with his head in his hands knowing that his error had been responsible for undoing all of the good work by his side.
The goalkeeper was partly culpable for giving him the ball in the first place. The Celtic man, who is under mounting pressure from Allan McGregor, his opposite number at Rangers, to retain his place, could have done better at the second Belgian goal as well.
Eden Hazard, who was, as ever, a joy to watch all evening, tormented Ryan Fraser before drilling a powerful left-foot shot high into the roof of the net after less than a minute of the second-half had been played. But the keeper was slow to react.
Charlie Mulgrew was at fault for the third. The centre-half’s diagonal ball to Stuart Armstrong was easily intercepted by Dembele. The midfielder sent Michy Batshuayi, who had taken over from scorer Lukaku at the start of the second-half, and the striker had the simplest of tasks to put Belgium three ahead.
McLeish immediately made changes. He put on Robert Snodgrass for Kevin McDonald and Ryan Jack for Stuart Armstrong. But the latter dallied on the ball a little too long on the hour mark and was dispossessed by Touri Tielmans. Batshuayi, on loan at Valencia from Chelsea, could hardly believe his luck and made it four.
Stephen O’Donnell took over from Mulgrew, Johnny Russell replaced Callum McGregor and McGinn made way for Graeme Shinnie. But damage limitation, not clawing their way back into proceedings, was the best they could hope for by that stage.
Leigh Griffiths had taken a while to get up from the turf following a collision with Jan Vertonghen shortly before half-time and he failed to reappear for the second half. His place was taken by Steven Naismith, the Hearts man who was a late call-up for the squad, who did his cause no harm with a typically robust display up front.
Belgian goalkeeper Thibault Courtois was certainly tested – by McGinn with a long-range attempt in the first-half and by Naismith, Fraser and Russell in the second – but this was the fourth time in five games that Scotland have failed to net under McLeish.
That Hampden was only
half-full for the visit of one of the best teams on the planet was disappointing. The SFA would doubtless argue moving to Easter Road, Pittodrie or Rugby Park would have been expensive and meant fewer people getting to see the game. But only 20,196 turned up. Perhaps the fans who stayed away were the lucky ones.
There were few positives for Scotland. But John Souttar was one. It was about as difficult an international debut that Souttar, the Hearts man of whom so much has been expected for so long, could have made. There are not many forward lines as formidable as Eden Hazard, Lukaka and Dries Mertens. But he coped admirably. The same could not be said of many of his team-mates.