MORE OF THE SAME
Scots suffer at hands of Costa Rica once again
ALEX McLEISH’S second debut as Scotland manager fell flat last night as Costa Rica secured a singlegoal win at Hampden.
Marcos Urena put the Central Americans in front with a sweetly-taken strike on 14 minutes and, despite some second-half endeavour, the home side could not find an equaliser.
Playing an experimental 3-4-3 line-up, the Scots’ best opening of the night saw Matt Ritchie’s fierce strike beaten away by Keylor Navas in the second half.
McLeish handed starts to four new caps — Scott McKenna, Scott McTominay, Kevin McDonald and Oli McBurnie.
Jamie Murphy was introduced from the bench for his first senior outing in Dark Blue.
But, in front of a sparse and muted Hampden crowd, McLeish’s side couldn’t find the leveller they so badly wanted ahead of Tuesday’s game in Hungary.
THE NAMES and the faces might change, but for Scotland old failings could take a little time to fix. It’s now two years since the national team last won a friendly international at Hampden.
In a stirring pre-match appeal Alex McLeish urged the national side, John Smeaton-style, to ‘set about’ Costa Rica.
By the end of an uninspiring 90 minutes, the new era had begun much as the old one ended. In an underwhelming performance and result.
Costa Rica are six places higher than Scotland in the FIFA rankings for a reason.
Preparing for their fourth World Cup finals since 2002 the Central Americans are an established unit at this level.
In contrast the Scots looked what they were. A new team playing under a new manager.
The second leg of a double header takes place against Hungary in Budapest on Tuesday night.
With six months and four games to prepare for the first Nations League qualifier against Albania, familiarisation remains the name of the game.
Before a sparse crowd of 20,488 the second coming of McLeish began inauspiciously.
The loss of a goal after just 14 minutes brought an early reality check. And, ultimately, a defeat.
Scotland’s new era began inauspiciously. The loss of a goal after 14 minutes brought an early reality check.
Oscar Ramirez was in the Los Ticos side which recorded an infamous win over the Scots at Italia 90.
Quarter-finalists in Brazil four years ago, Costa Rica return to the finals in a little over three months’ time, Ramirez using this game to pick the team he expects to start against Serbia in the Russian city of Samara on June 17.
It paid dividends when Marcos Urena strode on to a low, firm cutback from the byeline from Sunderland’s Bryan Oviedo and stroked the ball calmly into the bottom left-hand corner of Allan McGregor’s net.
Scotland could, probably should, have replied quickly. Callum Paterson found space in a crowded area to nod Matt Ritchie’s corner past the right-hand post of Real Madrid keeper Keylor Navas.
An equaliser then might have aided the bonding process for a team playing together for the first time, debutants sprinkled throughout a 3-4-3 formation which, for obvious reasons, lacked understanding or cohesion.
Standing in the Hampden tunnel before kick-off, new captain Charlie Mulgrew led the line-up, goalkeeper McGregor and Grant Hanley behind him.
As the Sky camera moved down the line, the faces became less familiar.
A new campaign and a new manager inevitably begins with a call for change. The Tartan Army could have no complaints on that score
Oli McBurnie started up front, Aberdeen’s Scott McKenna found a slot in defence, Kevin McDonald anchored the midfield alongside Fulham team-mate Tom Cairney.
Most of the intrigue surrounded Scott McTominay, the Manchester United midfielder who raised eyebrows by choosing Scotland over England after a determined pursuit by McLeish.
High in the South Stand at Hampden, Jose Mourinho sat jammed between Malky Mackay and Craig Brown. The Manchester United manager thinks McTominay is worth the effort. There will be bigger and more important games than this to pass judgment. In his days as Scotland manager, Brown — a renowned stickler for sartorial elegance — might have disapproved of McBurnie’s socks flapping low around his shins.
The Barnsley striker, on loan at Swansea, is the very definition of wiry. At times he is ungainly and unconventional.
Yet he was the first of the new boys to make an impression, rousing a crowd of just over 20,000 from the stupor which followed Costa Rica’s opener in 27 minutes by making space for a firmly struck right-foot shot from 16 yards, Navas throwing himself low to parry.
McBurnie was unable to reach an enticing Andy Robertson low ball across the face of goal.
Strong claims for a penalty from Cairney were misplaced. And for Scotland’s new-look team that was pretty much it in the first half.
The half-time stats showed why. Rated a generous 13/5 by bookmakers pre-match, Costa Rica enjoyed 58 per cent of the possession.
Seeing more of the ball would be the key to any Scotland comeback.
The very prospect was almost snuffed out three minutes into the second period.
A swift breakaway from the visitors exposed Scottish frailties in defence, Sporting Lisbon’s Bryan Ruiz turning Robertson on the byeline and cutting inside to whip a curling strike off the face of the crossbar. McGregor was beaten. Had that gone in, so were Scotland.
McTominay’s debut lasted 57 minutes. Part of a double change, which also witnessed the exit of Cairney, the Celtic duo of Callum McGregor and Stuart Armstrong gave the Scots a more recognisable look and the cutting edge they needed to make an impact.
McGregor did his best. With 65 minutes played, McBurnie used his upper body strength to roll defender Giancarlo Gonzalez in midfield, and create space for the Celtic player.
He put a weighted pass into the path of Ritchie, whose left-foot shot finally forced Navas into his first save of the second half.
The howls of anguish from a sparse home crowd intensified moments later when McBurnie failed to connect with an inviting low centre from the overlapping Robertson.
It was the kind of opportunity Leigh Griffiths might have gobbled up, but the debutant striker showed enough here to suggest he deserves a future at this level. Yet the lack of a goalscorer remains the most glaring problem for McLeish. And the hardest one to fix.