“I think a medal of some sort will come. I pray and hope that it is the gold one.” Ally MacLeod was never to live down his hubris of 1978. A Scotland loss to Peru and draw with Iran saw to that. Unlike MacLeod, Steve Clarke has never been prone to bold or rash predictions. Excitement will be left to everyone else. Who can reasonably deny them that?
In a last outing before a first World Cup appearance in 28 years, Scotland dismantled Bolivia. Suddenly, worries over a potentially tournament-defining joust with Haiti next weekend evaporated. If Clarke’s men are this ruthless and efficient when the proper stuff starts, they have a serious chance of emerging from the group phase for the first time in Scotland’s international history. This friendly, in theory an exercise in box-ticking, instead gave reasons for huge Scottish confidence. Scotland will remember their first ever game against Bolivia with great fondness.
Lawrence Shankland, Scott McTominay and Ché Adams, twice, had Scotland four goals clear at half-time. While it is fair to point towards limited opposition, that is precisely what Scotland will face in game one of Group C. Foot was removed from gas in the second period but there was still something hugely admirable about Scotland’s approach. Now for the key question; will it be all right on the night?
Shankland can now be considered a guaranteed Scotland starter for the Haiti clash. He joins Andy Robertson, Aaron Hickey, McTominay and John McGinn in that bracket. The likelihood is that Clarke would be keen to deploy Adams in attack alongside Shankland, but the impact made by Lyndon Dykes during last weekend’s win over Curaçao inserted doubt to that scenario. Clarke has tough calls over who starts in goal and at centre-half in Boston. Ryan Christie excelled against Bolivia, which should enhance his Haiti prospects.
In sweltering New Jersey heat, the Scots made a fine start. Robertson completed a one-two with Christie before chipping a cross to the back post. The Bolivia goalkeeper, Guillermo Viscarra, should have done better with Shankland’s header but Scotland’s No 20 had no cause to care. This marked his third goal in two games. Adams, who was lively, tested Viscarra before firing a shot only narrowly wide.
A second goal was soon forthcoming anyway. Shankland nudged the ball back to McTominay, whose low drive from 18 yards beat the highly unconvincing Viscarra. Bolivia earned brief salvation courtesy of the first drinks break of the match. It proved only that.
Scotland’s third was a fine goal. Hickey fed the marauding Ben Gannon-Doak, who has been criticised for his decision making. Gannon-Doak responded to the murmurs by putting in a perfect cross to the feet of Adams. The Torino man could not miss. Scotland, who are typically underwhelming in friendly games, were running amok.
This marked hugely encouraging stuff for Clarke. Bolivia are ranked above Haiti, whom Scotland will surely have to defeat for the opportunity to reach the World Cup’s last 32. Viscarra provided a 40th-minute answer to the question of why on earth he was playing international football courtesy of an acrobatic save from Gannon-Doak. Robertson was unlucky not to score from the resulting corner.
Scotland were to match a first-half scoreline margin feat first achieved against England in 1878 and, until now, last versus the Faroe Islands 20 years ago. Gannon-Doak, staking a huge claim for a World Cup start, drove from midfield. The Bournemouth man smoothly found Adams, who beat Viscarra at the second attempt. The Scots were 4-0 to the good at the break. This also meant they had scored a quartet of goals in successive games.
Shankland somehow contrived to shoot wide from Kieran Tierney’s cross after 61 minutes. Later, George Hirst came just as close to adding a fifth. Substitutions, in combination with the unrelenting temperature, had dropped Scotland’s tempo. Scott McKenna, Dykes and Nathan Patterson were the only outfield Scots not to feature at all. This was now a game they only had to manage adequately, including without the injury distress that ended Billy Gilmour’s World Cup dream seven days earlier.
This time, there was no sour note. Clarke will have no desire to summon his inner or outer MacLeod. Nonetheless, Scotland head to the party with collective spring in step.
