The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Yet another dispiriting night for Scotland as Russia fire home four.
Rout in Moscow ends slender Scots hopes of automatic qualification
RUSSIA 4 SCOTLAND 0
Artem Dzyuba talked up Scotland’s lack of belief in its national side but at the Luzhniki Stadium – on a night when Dundee United striker Lawrence Shankland made his international debut – he did his level best to kill it.
Two goals spearheaded a second-half demolition of Steve Clarke’s side that in the first 45, had done their level-best to contain him.
But a man who clearly thrives in being Russia’s talisman revelled in the chance to be the hero.
On a night where the Russian public turned out in force to welcome their team back to the Luzhniki for the first time since beating Spain at the World Cup last year, Dzyuba picked up where he left off on that summer afternoon.
Dark Blues keeper David Marshall had rarely been troubled before three goals in 13 minutes around the hourmark made it five defeats in seven qualifiers for the visitors.
Magomed Ozdoev thumped home from long range to make it three for the hosts and Aleksandr Golovin slotted home from 10 yards in the 84th minute to make it a second consecutive fourgoal loss for Steve Clarke’s side.
The latest defeat officially ended Scotland’s remote hopes of a top-two finish and left them in fifth place in Group I, four points behind third-placed Cyprus.
With six centre-half options unavailable, Aberdeen’s Mikey Devlin came in alongside Charlie Mulgrew despite being dropped by Aberdeen on Saturday following a 5-0 defeat by Rangers.
Clarke sprung a surprise at right-back with Liam Palmer preferred to Stephen O’Donnell for his second cap, the first coming in the 3-0 defeat in Kazakhstan which opened the campaign.
Fleck started in the absence of the suspended Scott McTominay and injured Kenny McLean, who withdrew on Wednesday, while Kirkcaldy-born Oliver Burke was handed the striker’s role.
For Devlin it was a baptism of fire he is sure to remember. Dzyuba, on this form, would take some stopping.
The defensive unit Devlin was part of were restrictive and sensible in the first period. Dzyuba did Dzyuba things without troubling the goal, Fedor Kudryashov blazed high into the home fans behind the goal and the only relative moment of worry came when Aleksandr Golovin, after being chopped down by another debutant John Fleck, brushed the roof of the net with a free-kick.
Blue shirts pounced on Dzyuba the moment he tried to take control of the ball but Golovin was needing closer attention.
Glimpses of how he ran the show in Glasgow were starting to emerge again and David Marshall, who up to this point had not been required, reacted smartly to beat away an attempt on goal.
Burke had toiled willingly as Scotland’s lone striker but rewards had not come.
A blow he took in the first half which required treatment saw him hooked at half-time, handing Shankland his international bow.
The 15-goal striker become the 17th Tangerines player to attain full international status since Davie Narey made the breakthrough in April 1977 as a sub against Sweden.
To date United players have won 207 caps and scored 17 goals with top scorer being Billy Dodds with four...and he is the last United player to score for Scotland in the game against Bosnia in September 1999.
Shankland’s early touches showed promise but the positive work of Clarke’s side was promptly undone.
After keeping Dzyuba at arm’s length for the first period, he positioned himself in front of Charlie Mulgrew from a Golovin corner and steered the ball beyond Marshall.
Worse was to come. Surely only Magomed Ozdoev thought he would find Marshall’s top corner when he struck from 25 yards but his belief was not misplaced.
The ball crashed into the net and took Scotland’s hope with it.
Audacity turned to assurity for Dzyuba when, retrieving Golovin’s overhit cross, he shot from close to the left touchline and the ball came careering back off the crossbar.
But this was his occasion to seize and he did so, profiting from Mulgrew and Devlin’s indecision to prod home.
Dzyuba turned provider for the fourth, giving Golovin reward for another eyecatching display, as Scotland’s night ended in misery.
Attendance: 70,000.
Russia – Guilherme, Fernandes, Semenov, Dzhikiya, Kudryashov, Ozdoev, Barinov 6, Zhirkov (Cheryshev 66), Ionov (Akhmetov 78), Golovin, Dzyuba (Komlichenko 87). Subs not used – Lunev, Dzhanaev, Ignatyev, Belyaev, Cheryshev, Bakaev, Kuzyaev, Karavaev, Chistyakov, Petrov.
Scotland – Marshall, Palmer, Devlin, Mulgrew, Robertson, Fleck (Armstrong 82), McGregor, Fraser, (Christie 68), McGinn, Snodgrass, Burke (Shankland 46). Subs not used – MacGillivray, McLaughlin, O’Donnell, Findlay, Gallagher, Taylor, Forrest, Russell.
Referee – Jakob Kelhet (Denmark).