SEVERAL Scotland players had, according to their manager Gordon Strachan, an opportunity to force their way into contention for a start in the Russia 2018 qualifier against Slovenia on Sunday in this friendly international against Canada last night.
But after failing to overcome limited opponents who are a full 50 places below them in the FIFA world rankings at home, a fair few may well have played their way out of that crucial Group F match at Hampden.
It is, of course, important not to read too much into these sort of meaningless run-outs. This game was only taken on to give Strachan the opportunity to see his charges, many of whom are seriously lacking in game time, in action ahead of an important competitive fixture. It was little more than a training exercise.
Still, the poor quality of the performance and the final result were concerning just five days before a game which the national team have to win in order to keep their slim hopes of reaching the World Cup finals alive. At no stage did the home team look like triumphing. There will need to be a dramatic improvement this weekend if another costly draw or even a humiliating defeat is to be avoided.
There were pre-match pyrotechnics on the pitch as the teams came out onto the park before kick-off. But if ever a game was a damp squib which failed to ignite the passions of the football public this was it.
The smallest crowd at a Scotland game in over a century had been widely predicted. In the end, a hardy 9,150 souls braved the elements. But many of those who did come out will have regretted that they bothered. It was dire fare.
The return to form and fitness of Charlie Mulgrew at Blackburn Rovers in recent months has been welcomed by many Scotland supporters. The former Celtic man is a more reliable option at centre half than the others vying for a start in what has long been a problem position.
But he, along with Rangers left back Lee Wallace, was at fault for the visitors’ opening goal. The duo failed to deal with a Maxim Tissot cross they should have cleared without difficulty and they needlessly gifted Fraser Aird the ball. The Falkirk winger drove a powerful shot beyond the exposed Allan McGregor.
That strike may have come about as the result of a defensive mix-up. But Canada had several chances to score again in the first 45 minutes. Indeed, they posed as much of, if not more of, a threat up front than their toothless hosts.
Aird went close again after a mazy run into the box, Simeon Jackson had a shot deflected over and Marco Bustos also fired narrowly wide. The often unconvincing display at the back did not augur well for the visit of Slovenia on Sunday.
Tom Cairney, who qualifies to play for this country due to his Scottish father, made his debut for his adopted homeland after being named in the starting line-up. Strachan has raved about the Fulham midfielder this season - he rates him as the best player in his position in the Sky Bet Championship on current form – and it was easy to see why.
Operating just in front of the deep-lying Darren Fletcher in a 4-1-4-1 formation, Cairney looked undaunted at playing international football. He scrapped for possession and distributed the ball intelligently. The national team isn't exactly short of players in his position, but he certainly looks like a viable option
It was his through ball to his club mate Chris Martin, playing up front by himself, in the 24th minute which created the first Scotland scoring chance. The striker did well to get his shot on target, but goalkeeper Simon Thomas came off his line well and palmed it wide for a corner.
Cairney had a hand in the Scotland equaliser nine minutes later. The ball broke to him on the edge of the Canada area after some good work by Wallace and he coolly fed Naismith outside him. The forward did enough to help the ball over the line. It was his seventh goal for his country.
Ikechi Anya started at right back, where he had played in the 3-0 defeat to England at Wembley in November, once again and won his 25th cap. The Derby County man, who has made most of his international appearances in a more advanced role, looked comfortable in the position and overlapped to great effect.
Anya, who played for the full 90 minutes, should have done enough to retain his place in the side this weekend. He was named Man of the Match at the end. Not that there were many other contenders.
Andy Robertson and Barry Bannon replaced Wallace and Oliver Burke at the start of the second half. Jordan Rhodes and Leigh Griffiths then took over from Naismith and Martin after an hour. The team switched to a 4-4-2 formation when the two strikers came on. John McGinn, the Hibernian midfielder, took over from Cairney with 15 minutes remaining. But the replacements made little difference to proceedings.
Rhodes had a chance to snatch a late winner when Griffiths teed him up with a chance in injury-time. But he snatched at his shot and squandered the opportunity. It would, though, have been an injustice if Scotland had ended up victorious. The boos from the crowd at the final whistle told their own story.
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