BALTIC BLOW
Late Scots’ equaliser isn’t enough to lift Hampden as Lithuania deal an early setback to World Cup ambitions
THESE false dawns, of which Scotland are shockingly familiar, arrive earlier with every passing failed qualifying effort. Five weeks on from the post-Euro 2016 mood lifting thanks to a morale boost in Malta, the lights almost went out on the road to Russia for sorry Scotland.
Only thanks to James McArthur’s 89th-minute equaliser do they remain flickering. Following that five-star start in September, Scotland were forced to scramble an equaliser from the half-time substitute for captain Darren Fletcher to save face.
This ruthless Lithuanian outfit came so close to serving up a killer defeat. A player from Jagiellonia Bialystok in the Polish top flight, Fiodor Cernych, struck a classy opener in 58 minutes — the likes of which were not seen at the other end as Scotland toiled to trouble the target with half chances.
The appearance of Leigh Griffiths finally gave hope. Instead, the vital penalty-box touch mercifully arrived from holding midfielder McArthur. Callum Paterson slung over a long throw which Grant Hanley headed on.
A vital touch, as it turned out, as McArthur stole space for the ball to glance off his shoulder for his third international goal.
The five additional minutes fuelled hope of a comeback on the scale of that Liechtenstein win under Craig Levein in 2010 and how close that was to coming true.
Lithuania twice cleared off the line as a desperate injury-time scrap was fought out in their penalty box. It was ugly and, ultimately, not what Scotland needed ahead of away tests against better opposition in Slovakia on Tuesday then England next month. Strachan’s men must be better than this or all hope could be extinguished.
Gordon Strachan resisted the temptation to shake up a winning team and stuck by the same starters who got the job done on the first night of qualifying last month. That left Champions League sensation Kieran Tierney on the bench as Andrew Robertson kept that hotly contested left-back place. Chris Martin, without a goal in 12 games for Derby and Fulham this season, led the line.
On October 11, 2003, Fletcher scored his first goal for his country against Lithuania in a 1-0 victory. Yesterday he captained Scotland in a competitive Hampden international for the first time in five years on the occasion of his 75th cap.
Strachan had been at pains to warn that this Lithuanian team was not entirely suited to being spoilers and would come and have a go. Certainly, they were out smartly to press and were in no mood to let Fletcher and Barry Bannan introduce any rhythm from the middle of the park.
They had conceded twice in their opening draw against Slovenia from headers, however, and Scotland were afforded a bunch of opportunities to test if the weakness travelled with this Lithuanian team. The visitors, faced with the pace of Oliver Burke and Robertson were cynical in their tackling, so conceded a rash of first-half free-kicks.
Edgaras Jankauskas had identified the full-backs Robertson and Paterson as dangers in his pre-match media conference. Egidijus Vaitkunas paid the strictest attention. His shocking, forearm-up challenge that brought Robertson’s run to a brutal end was deemed worthy only of a yellow card by German referee Tobias Stieler.
Hanley was worried out of profiting from this potential penalty box flaw when nodding wide at the back post after Matt Ritchie picked him out with a looping free-kick. Paterson flashed a header inches past the left-hand post of Ernestas Setkus from the same point of delivery. Robert Snodgrass was a yard shy when Scotland went direct with the third dead-ball situation in Lithuania territory in quick succession.
In open play, authority proved tough to establish for Scotland, so any time former Hearts and St Johnstone winger Arvydas Novikovas was utilised on the break there was a sense the Scots were vulnerable to a counter-attack strike.
Chris Martin won a grappling match with Vaitkunas to connect with a Snodgrass cross and fire his first attempt across goal. Setkus coughed up then recovered Bannan’s bobbling 20-yard dig and there was no joy from the flanks either where Scotland’s most expensive ever player lurked.
Burke endeared himself ever more to the Tartan Army last week by talking them through his decision to snub interest from England.
How Hampden would have woken from a subdued first half of support had the teenager turned one of his power-packed runs into a breakthrough goal.
He grew in confidence as the half wore on, though the response of a warning drawn from the referee, after he tumbled in the box in a tussle with Edvinas Girdvainis, was not what he was looking for after a terrific burst of pace sped him past two Lithuanian markers.
Fletcher’s landmark appearance came to an end at the interval as McArthur replaced him. Stand-in skipper Russell Martin was in the right place to hoof clear when David Marshall’s first save of the game,
from Novikovas, could have fallen to a Lithuanian boot.
Girdvainis threw himself in front of a Snodgrass drive and Chris Martin glanced a powerful header wide as Scotland hinted at finding an answer. The next change had to be to change the menu in attack, so Strachan sent on James Forrest for Burke. Yet he would not enjoy the luxury of a touch before the task of breaking down the visitors became desperately more difficult.
Cernych held off Hanley to exchange passes with Vykintas Slivka. The Lithuanian skipper turned and slipped the Scotland defence with ease, strode on to the return ball and blasted home to beat Marshall at his near post. It was silky striker play but Strachan’s defence had been carved apart at will and there was little by way of such skilful and incisive play at the other end where it mattered.
Robertson forced Setkus to bat away his fierce ball across goal. Forrest dragged his chance wide on the rebound. Scotland’s faltering comeback bid was accompanied by occasional jeers as the frustration mounted. Applause greeted the introduction of the last hope, Griffiths, on 71 minutes.
By then, of course, Lithuania were loving the challenge of camping deeper and daring Scotland to find a way through them, while Cernych and Novikovas were not finished with their fun on the counter. Cernych went clear on Marshall again thanks to the ex-Hearts man’s flick.
Hampden shrieked in collective horror before he fired wide. Those shrieks were replaced by sheer relief when McArthur salvaged a point.