Hampden heartache after Scotland fightback just falls short

Fighting spirit was good to see

On a night when no one really expected to get anything, going so close and in the manner they did, is going to make it a hard result to take for Scotland fans. After Friday night, some fans thought Scotland would do well to get nil tonight but as so often happens, when the nation doesn’t expect….the team can come so close to delivering.

At half-time, 1-0 was the right result even if the way it came about was a bit sickening. So close to half-time and fans and players minds no doubt starting to drift, Steven Whittaker switched off and allowed a ball to drift over him. He then compounded this error by raising his hand which saw the assistant referee make the decision that a handball had been committed.

When they go against you its painful, if the other team commits that foul, you scream blue murder for a penalty.

Anyways, David Villa stuck the ball to his right and although Alan McGregor moved quick and far, the ball squirmed beyond McGregor and the Barcelona striker moved level with Raul on 44 goals for the Spanish international team.

Of course we are interested in the Scottish viewpoint but its hard not to drool over the skill of Iniesta. Aside from always looking composed on the ball, his strike for the second Spanish goal was a thing of composed beauty. Messi may be the main man for Barcelona but Iniesta is a phenomenal player.

And at 2-0 and just when you were thinking it was all over…Kenny Miller peeled out wide and delivered an outstanding cross which Steven Naismith nodded home for his first international goal. And if the atmosphere was buzzing in Hampden then, the noise when Gerard Pique could only divert a cross behind Casillas to make it 2-2…well, it’s been a few years since Hampden witnessed that during an international game.

Sadly, Spain stepped up a gear and Llorente rifled home after Stephen McManus misjudged the flight of the ball leaving the sub all alone six yards out. With Steven Whittaker red-carded near the end, it was a sad end to an evening which threatened to take off around the hour mark.

The game summed up one of the fears we had about Craig Levein getting the job as national team manager. We all know what Scottish football is like, results and performances against Celtic or Rangers are always weighted more than other points. Levein was capable of getting at least and sometimes both of these elements against the big two but often struggled in lesser games.

There was a spell when Levein’s United would outmuscle and outfight Gordon Strachan’s Celtic in midfield with a spate of draws but find themselves in the back pocket of Billy Reid’s Hamilton Accies. When it comes to motivation and tactics against the big boys, Levein is a good coach. Ask him to do anything with an ounce of imagination though…and that is where he struggles.

Tonight and tomorrow is not the night for recriminations. For all the fans at the game and those watching, listening or waiting on text updates, it was about giving them something back after Friday night. Scotland definitely did that against Spain and should take great joy and pride from the performance. With almost a year to the next qualifying game, there is plenty of time for Levein, Houston and the backroom and coaching staff to dissect the four qualifying games and judge the rights and wrongs.

Okay, let’s end on a positive note. Alan McGregor delivered an outstanding performance and was largely responsible for keeping Scotland in the game before the revival happened. He was unlucky at the penalty but with saves from his hands and feet, the stopper deserves every bit of positive praise and column inches his performance should earn him.

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