Scotland fall short in dress rehearsal

ISRAEL last night fired a stark warning to Scotland ahead of next month’s vital Euro 2020 play-off between the sides. Ryan Christie’s first-half penalty got Steve Clarke’s side off to a solid start in their Nations League campaign. But the Scots appeared to settle for the one goal — and Eran Zahavi stunned them with a superb second-half equaliser on a disappointing night at Hampden Park. Last night’s draw will give Willi Ruttensteiner’s side a significant boost ahead of the play-off semi-final at the same venue on October 8. Scotland — who used Liverpool’s Andy Robertson as a left wing back and Arsenal’s Kieran Tierney as the leftsided centre back in a three — now head to Olomouc for Monday’s Nations League match with the Czech Republic. Meanwhile, Gavin Whyte’s late header earned 10-man Northern Ireland their firstever Nations League point as they drew 1-1 with Romania in Bucharest. In manager Ian Baraclough’s first game in charge, the Green and White Army were frustrated for much of the night, falling behind when George Puscas poked Romania in front after 25 minutes. They then lost Josh Magennis to two soft yellow cards before half-time. But Whyte’s late equaliser secured the draw. Elsewhere, Holland beat Poland 1-0 thanks to a goal from Tottenham’s Steven Bergwijn, while Italy drew 1-1 with Bosnia and Herzegovina.