AMSTER SLAMMED
Roof caves in on Scots as they slump to sixth game without a victory
IT might have ended up pretty painful but this wasn’t a total write-off for Scotland.
At times in Amsterdam’s Johan Cruyff Arena there was some Total Football on show – and not just from the nation who invented it.
Scotland still haven’t won in Holland since the late 1950s but they have never come here and had as much of the ball and created as many chances.
If these pre-Euros knockabouts are about gaining confidence and learning lessons, this was a more than worthwhile exercise.
Steve Clarke’s men took on the Dutch at their own game – and had more attempts on goal than the hosts.
Getting hit for four was as bewildering as it was brutal.
It was an agonising example of why these teams are at the very top and our side is scrapping to join them.
The Netherlands were so much more clinical.
Tijjani Reijnders’ wonder strike just before half-time was their first dig on target.
Georginio Wijnaldum grabbed the second after Lawrence Shankland and a few others had passed up good chances to level.
Those are the moments that will matter in a few months as Wout Weghorst then headed a third before Donyell Malen struck.
Scotland will need to sort that out before the big kick-off in Germany.
Clarke hinted beforehand at having something up his sleeve for this one.
But let’s be honest, it’s not like the gaffer was ever going to be doing a Paul Daniels on us.
That’s the good thing about Clarke and this group. We know what they are about. We know what they can do.
That doesn’t mean the man in charge can’t make some interesting tweaks though.
Shankland getting his opportunity was a smart move. The Hearts frontman is arguably the one question mark at this level and the one who perhaps needed the run-out.
You think Ryan Christie will play deeper like he has with Bournemouth. Instead he’s pushed right up.
Scott McTominay has been advanced of late but he was an anchor. Mind you, none of them was sitting particularly deep out there as Clarke sent out his side to go toe-to-toe with the Dutch at their own game.
It was high-pressing, possession football. Up until the opener, Scotland had so much of the ball you’d have thought the sides had swapped shirts.
There were a few sniffs as well. Shankland got an early chance with a header he looped over and Scotland would have been ahead but for a sensational stop from keeper Mark Flekken when he managed to contort himself to scoop Christie’s close-range header on to the bar.
John McGinn wasn’t far off either when he got across his man to prod Christie’s cross over with Virgil van Dijk breathing down his neck.
Weirdly, it was the Dutch who were sitting in and looking to hit on the break. They looked fairly dangerous on a couple of raids. You had Wijnaldum getting so fed up with McTominay bossing him that he resorted to leaving a boot in on the Manchester United star.
And there was Cody Gapko trying to con the ref into awarding a penalty.
Diving? In a friendly? Rattled much chaps?
Eventually it was going to dawn on the Dutch they were in a game and sure enough, they flicked the switch and decided to turn up. It was almost nonchalant the way they took an undeserved lead five minutes before the break.
The one time the Scots sat off, Reijnders strolled up and stroked a rising rocket past Angus Gunn into the top corner from 25 yards.
Gunn prevented further damage when he impressively got down to paw out Memphis Depay’s low shot on the turn, then batted away a Gakpo effort.
It wasn’t Holland going through the gears though as Scotland came close to being level.
McTominay wriggled into some space in the box but couldn’t dig the ball out from under his feet. McGinn’s
near-post drive made Flekken think and seconds later Christie nodded wide when he it looked as if he had to hit the target.
Billy Gilmour was next up when his pop deflected narrowly past followed by Andy Robertson being sent through on goal, only for Nathan Ake to mop up when the skipper tried to chop on to his right foot.
Then came the big moment for Hearts skipper Shankland.
You would have stuck the house on him burying the chance when he’s wearing maroon.
But the striker stuck the laces through his glorious chance when one on one with Flekken and the extra oomph saw the ball blast off the top of the bar.
You suspected that would come back to bite the Scots and sure enough, Holland pounced again in the moments after Clarke sent on some subs and was looking to restructure.
Wijnaldum took advantage of the slight lapse as he got in front of his man to meet Gakpo’s inswinging cross to make it 2-0 with 16 minutes to go.
It got worse when Weghorst got the leap on the backline to thump in a headed third with five minutes left.
Seconds later, Malen sneaked in to poke home a fourth with the Scots at sea in the final stages.
Harsh? Totally.