Wasteful Scots are handed a lesson in finishing by Dutch
AGAME against the Netherlands in the Johan Cruyff Arena should have been the ideal preparation for the opening game of Euro 2024 against Germany. If this is the fate which awaits Scotland in Munich on June 14, it could be a long old day.
Winless in their previous six games, the last time the Scots sustained a run like that was a barren spell between October 2007 and September 2008.
The scoreline failed to tell the full story of a night when, for 70 minutes, Steve Clarke’s team made — and missed — chance after chance.
The roof was closed on the 53,000-seat arena and caved in completely during the last 18 minutes when a much-changed team shipped three goals. The six-game winless run has seen the Scots ship 18 goals while failing to score nearly as many as they should have. Against Northern Ireland on Tuesday, that needs to change.
Winless on Dutch soil since 1959, poor defending was only half the tale on a sobering defeat for the Scots.
Handed a chance to impress from the start, Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland had a glorious chance to equalise after 62 minutes. After he slotted his big chance against the crossbar, the Dutch took ruthless advantage during an end to the game when they could have scored five or six. The final scoreline was a harsh, bruising reminder of the levels Clarke’s team have to reach in Germany.
When the home scored with their first shot on target after 40 minutes, then, it felt undeserved.
An undeniably stunning strike from AC Milan midfielder Tilkan Reijnders will also reopen the debate over Steve Clarke’s best option in goal when the Scots face Germany in the opening game of Euro 2024.
As the ball fizzed into the roof of the net, Angus Gunn struggled to get across his goal in time. To give the Norwich keeper his due, he produced a brilliant stop from Memphis Depay early in the second half he had no right to make. He staked his claim in the end.
The loss of a goal was a shame for a Scots side which spent most of the first half silencing the World Cup quarterfinalists in front of 51,000-crowd under the closed roof.
They came within inches of taking the lead after 17 minutes. It needed a quite outstanding touch from Dutch keeper Mark Flekken to push Ryan Christie’s flying header on to the crossbar after the Bournemouth attacker met an enticing cross from Brighton’s Billy Gilmour. The ball bounced down in the direction of Shankland and you half expected the striker to justify his selection with a poacher’s strike. The ball eluded him and the first genuine chance of the game was gone. Given how soft McTominay’s earlier caution looked, Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo was fortunate to escape a yellow for a blatant dive to try to win a penalty after the half hour. Card-happy at times, Belgian referee Erik Lambrechts refused to fall for it and rightly so.
With the next move of the game McTominay sent Christie scurrying free on the left. John McGinn met the ball at the near post but fired over the bar. Again, encouraging from Scotland.
There was no hint, no sign of a Dutch goal coming. Gunn had yet to make a save when, for the first time in the half, the Scotland press let them down.
The fell to Reijnders 25 yards from goal and he had time and space to have a crack at goal. While no one could deny the quality of the strike, it was hard to shift the feeling that Gunn should have done a little better. Harsh, perhaps. But the ball was a good height for a save.
Give the 28-year-old this much. He did brilliantly to prevent things becoming a good deal worse five minutes after the restart. The last time these nations met before the Euro 2020 Euros, Depay scored both goals in a 2-2 draw in Faro.
The Atletico Madrid striker looked as if he’d done it again when he gave Jack Hendry the slip in the area and thumped a low strike towards the bottom corner of the net. Throwing himself low to his left, Gunn saved brilliantly, making amends — if he needed to — for a very decent Dutch goal.
For a friendly we had a very decent match on our hands. Scotland’s lack of a Depay quality of striker killed them at times.
McGinn’s rasping left-foot strike almost caught Flekken by surprise at his near post. When the Brentford keeper pushed the ball out, the Aston Villa skipper hung a cross up for an unmarked Christie to aim his downward header wide of the post. He should have scored.
The best and most agonising chance of them all came after 62 minutes. Presented with the opportunity to book his seat on the flight to Germany, Shankland was through with the goal to aim at when McTominay picked the pocket of Mats Wiefer on the edge of the Dutch area.
Given his form this season, there wasn’t a player better equipped to draw Scotland level. Incredibly, the Hearts skipper saw his effort smash against the crossbar and yet another golden chance was gone.
Minutes later Shankland was replaced by Che Adams. Lewis Ferguson was sent on for the
excellent Gilmour while John Souttar took the place of Tierney.
Souttar’s introduction to the fray was an inglorious affair. Minutes after the Rangers defender’s introduction the Netherlands took advantage of a lapse of concentration, an unmarked Georginio Wijnaldum heading Gakpo’s cross into the corner of the net as Souttar scrambled to get to grips with his man a little too late.
The night was summed up when McTominay, a reliable source of goals, headed a similar chance wide at the other end. It was a night when the Scots would have struggled to hit a cow’s backside with a banjo.
Substitute Wout Weghorst headed a cheap third from a corner after 84 minutes, the changes draining Scotland’s vim and vigour.
Cutting through the visitors like a knife through butter, Donyell Malen ran on to a Reijnders through ball to poke home the fourth goal with minutes to play.
The scoreline a poor reflection of the game in general, it was hard to miss the most obvious difference between these two sides. While one took chances in front of goal, the other failed to take any. Euro 2024 could be a tough old slog if that trend continues.
NETHERLANDS (4-3-3): Flekken; Frimpong (Dumfries 62), Geertruida, Van Dijk, Ake; Wieffer (Veerman 62), Wijnaldum (Koopmeiners 82), Reijnders; Simons (Malen 77), Depay (Weghorst 77), Gakpo (Blind 82). Booked: Depay.
SCOTLAND (3-4-2-1): Gunn; Porteous, Hendry, Tierney (Souttar 68); Patterson, Gilmour (Ferguson 68), McTominay, Robertson (Ralston 74); McGinn (McLean 85), Christie (Armstrong 74); Shankland (Adams 68). Booked: McTominay, McGinn. Referee: Eric Lambrechts (Belgium).
Attendance: 51,000.