Germany 2006 with a 2-0 win over Moldova at Hampden
Park this afternoon - but it was a hard-fought and
nervy win to mark Walter Smith's first home game as
Manager.
Barry Ferguson captained the Scots, with former
Rangers' Steven Pressley and Kenny Miller in a
starting line-up that fielded no fewer than four
players from Heart of Midlothian against a visiting
side making their first visit to Scotland.
The home side were all out to secure an early goal -
Darren Fletcher playing a one-two with Lee McCulloch
in eleven minutes before seeing his rising shot from
eighteen yards fly over the bar.
Two minutes later McCulloch's shot on the turn from
some twenty yards landed on the roof of the net.
Scotland continued to press without creating many
clear-cut chances - McCulloch was causing the
Moldavian defence a whole host of problems, his
twenty-yard shot from a Miller lay-off on the
half-hour being just wide of the target.
Paul Hartley came close in 39 minutes - his
twenty-yard free-kick flashing just past the post.
Substitute Christian Dailly almost broke the deadlock
on the stroke of half-time, heading wide from a Graham
Alexander cross - but the interval arrived with the
game goalless.
To the immense relief of the 45,317 crowd, Scotland
finally broke the deadlock seven minutes after the
restart when a McCulloch cross was touched into the
air at full stretch by goalkeeper Evgheni Hmaruc, the
ball falling behind him where Dailly bundled it into
the net.
The Moldavians were far from finished however - three
minutes later Craig Gordon had to be alert to touch
wide Serghei Rogaciov's hook shot from a Serghei Dadu
head-flick.
Paul Hartley was yellow-carded in 57 minutes for a
foul on Iuri Priganiuc - a booking that will mean
suspension in Minsk this coming Wednesday.
Nervousness began to creep into the home side as time
ticked on - with the visitors coming more and more
into the game in the closing stages. Ghenadie Olexici
twice came close from Serghei Covaliciuc crosses -
stabbing the first wide in 76 minutes then six minutes
later shooting into the side-net.
Victory however was sealed in 88 minutes when
substitute Jamie McFadden made it 2-0 after Miller had
been bundled off the ball.
The final whistle sounded soon afterwards on
Scotland's first win of this campaign, and afterwards
Manager Walter Smith summarised:
"I was pleased to win - this was an awkward one for
us. We can benefit from this win. Today was a small
step forward. Moldova are a team of experienced
professionals who play at a decent level. I still
think it will be difficult to qualify."
So now it's on to Belarus on Wednesday - a win in
Minsk being almost as vital as today.
SCOTLAND Gordon; Alexander, McNamara (Dailly 25);
Pressley, Weir, Ferguson; Fletcher, Webster, Miller,
Hartley, McCulloch (McFadden 73)
UNUSED SUBS Esson, S. Caldwell, Miller, Riordan,
Thompson
MOLDOVA Hmaruc; Savinov, Lascencov (Covalenco 45);
Olexici, Catinsus (Covaliciuc 59), Priganiuc;
Iepureanu, Ivanov, Rogaciov (Frunza 81), Boret, Dadu
UNUSED SUBS Romanenco, Barisev, Cebotari
REFEREE Frederikus J. Braamhaar (Netherlands)
Attendance 45,317