Scotland at least have victory to remember from an utterly forgettable game. And victory alone. Onwards to more serious, more anticipated, inevitably more entertaining stuff against the Republic of Ireland in a Euro 2016 qualifying tie next weekend. The less said about this game, though, the better.
These are curious times for Scotland. Some of Gordon Strachan’s players had a month’s gap between the conclusion of their domestic season and this friendly. Qatar’s visit was in essence an elaborate training session aimed at keeping the Scottish squad sharp before next Saturday’s crucial trip to Dublin.
There were options open to Strachan, which he duly utilised. Charlie Mulgrew, who saw his club season wrecked by injury, was given a start at centre-half. Mulgrew’s height in an otherwise small team, plus his set-piece ability, renders him a strong candidate to face Ireland, either in defence or midfield. The Celtic winger, James Forrest, another who has been blighted by fitness issues, also started.
The Scottish opening was bright. Steven Naismith, as has become customary for his country, was especially lively in attack. The Everton man forced Lecomte Claude Amine into a fine, 22nd-minute stop after Forrest’s lead-up work. Mulgrew wasted a free header, just six yards out, from the resultant corner.
Outside the stadium, a peaceful protest against the game by a handful of people passed without incident. The Scottish FA’s decision to court Qatar became even more controversial as this fixture grew close, owing to increasing reports of the appalling treatment of migrant workers in the gulf state. Inside, a portly male streaker was allowed to saunter into the centre circle, under no security challenge whatsoever. The Scots defended their stance over their association with Qatar but many supporters were obviously uneasy with the arrangement.
Those who attended should have been celebrating a 27th-minute opener, Shaun Maloney was instead dispossessed by a terrific Ahmed Abdelrhman tackle when bearing down on goal. Matt Ritchie, however, soon handed Scotland a lead they merited. The Bournemouth midfielder seized upon a loose ball, drilling home from 18 yards, to open his international account in his third game. Naismith then clipped a post as the hosts sought to double their advantage, just seconds before the break.
Eight minutes after the interval the Belgian referee inexplicably failed to award a penalty as Naismith was shoved in the back. Instead, the consequence was the forward clattering into the Qatar goalkeeper, earning some stud marks to the neck for his trouble. After two minutes of treatment, Naismith was allowed to continue. Sensibly, though, he was soon withdrawn amid the inevitable raft of second-half substitutions. Whether linked to those changes or not, the match regressed into almost unwatchable territory. At least the crowd, little over 14,000 of them, hadn’t been ludicrously charged for tickets as has become a Scottish FA normality.
A second pitch invader, this time wearing clothes, entered the scene with five minutes remaining, hugged Scotland’s Leigh Griffiths and fled from the scene. It was a sign of a tedious scene that the incident is worthy of record.
