So, Scotland get off to something of a flier in the Nations League. Thanks for your company. Now read Ewan Murray’s match report from Hampden Park:
Steven Naismith, ultimately Scotland’s match-winner, speaks. “I think some people got carried away with Friday [4-0 defeat to Belgium], we were playing against one of the best teams in the world and, yes, we received a lesson. It’s a young squad, there are going to be a few teething problems and overall we are happy with the direction we’re moving in.” After beating Albania on home soil, Allan McGregor adds: “People expect you to beat teams like these, but it’s not as easy as that.”
Nations League results
Portugal 1-0 Italy
Sweden 2-3 Turkey
Scotland 2-0 Albania
Montenegro 2-0 Lithuania
Serbia 2-2 Romania
Andorra 1-1 Kazakhstan
Kosovo 2-0 Faroe Islands
Malta 1-1 Azerbaijan
GOAL! Sweden 2-3 Turkey (Akbaba, 90+2)
Emre Akbaba has dug out a winner too! The Galatasaray midfielder only came on half an hour ago, but has made quite the impact. Sweden are surely heading for defeat now.
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Scotland have got that elusive win, and how Alex McLeish and co needed that. It was fully deserved too, with Naismith at the double, after nodding against the post in the first half. Standout performers? Robertson, Tierney and Callum McGregor were all lively.
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GOAL! Sweden 2-2 Turkey (Akbaba, 88)
Emre Akbaba, who was born in Paris, pulls Turkey level in Solna. And we’re into added time across all of the eight Nations League matches.
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GOAL! Andorra 1-1 Kazakhstan (Alaez, 84)
Jordi Alaez restores parity. The visitors are down to 10 men.
A couple of changes in Lisbon, as Italy coach Roberto Mancini rolls the dice in search of an equaliser. Andrea Belotti and Emerson are both on, having already withdrawn Immobile. Portugal, meanwhile, have introduced Renato Sanches and Gelson Martins.
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Scott McTominay is on for Scotland, replacing Callum McGregor, of Celtic. The Manchester United midfielder is involved straight away, bursting towards the box before winning a free-kick on the edge of the box. Leigh Griffiths’s cannons against the wall.
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Italy look a shadow of their former selves, particularly frail in defence. Portugal continue to probe in search of a second, with Pizzi, the Benfica midfielder, going close with a low drive, eventually gathered by the teenage Gianluigi Donnarumma. In Andorra, Kazakhstan are down to 10 men after Serikzan Muzhikov sent off.
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GOAL! Serbia 2-2 Romania (Tucudean, 68)
The scores are level in Belgrade once more. Elsewhere, Yuri Logvinenko has given Kazakhstan a 1-0 lead over Andorra.
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And Callum McGregor almost makes it 3-0, but for some last-ditch defending by Albania. Meanwhile, Alex McLeish tweaks personnel, with Russell replaced by Leigh Griffiths, who many feel should have started.
GOAL! Scotland 2-0 Albania (Naismith, 68)
Just as Scotland were starting to live a little dangerously, with Balaj going close, the Albania goalkeeper, Strakosha, comes wandering out of goal to claim the ball from McGregor’s corner, and Naismith gladly makes the most of his error, looping his header into an empty net.
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GOAL! Serbia 2-1 Romania (Mitrovic, 63)
And the Fulham striker helps himself to his second of the evening. That’s his sixth goal in four matches.
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Robertson and McGregor go close for Scotland! The former has a volley deflected over after the Celtic winger had an effort blocked after driving into the box. Scotland are piling on the pressure in search of a second. On the touchline, Alex McLeish is absolutely soaked but he will not care an inch, providing his team get the job done.
GOAL! Portugal 1-0 Italy (A Silva, 48)
The Sevilla striker converts Bruma’s cross. Some quick-fire goals across Europe as well, with Sweden now leading Turkey 2-1, after Calhanoglu pulled a goal back for the visitors in Solna. And Kosovo have doubled their lead. That comes after a historic first, by Arber Zeneli; first competitive goal on home soil. Atdhe Nuhiu, of Sheffield Wednesday has got the second. A busy start to the second halves ...
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GOAL! Serbia 1-1 Romania (Stanciu, 48)
Nicolae Stanciu slots home a penalty in Belgrade. Elsewhere, Kosovo have taken the lead against the Faroe Islands, while Malta thought they had restored their one-goal advantage, only to have it ruled out.
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GOAL! Scotland 1-0 Albania (Naismith, 47)
And they have eventually found a breakthrough. Naismith, who missed a first-half sitter, pops up at the back post to nod in Andy Robertson’s inviting cross. It was patient buildup play, with Armstrong involved, teeing the ball up for Robertson to swing it in. When he did, Scotland – eventually – found a way through.
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A Scotland substitution at the interval: Stuart Armstrong, now of Southampton, will replace Kevin McDonald, winning his eighth cap in the process. As for Albania, they’ve made a change, with Prenga replacing Gavazaj. We’re back under way at Hampden ...
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What should McLeish say at the break? More of the same please, you’d imagine. If they keep playing as they have, they will surely score, won’t they? Allan McGregor has not had a save to make. In midfield, John McGinn has been busy, while Tierney and Robertson have been combining well down the left. Portugal have been the better of the two sides in Lisbon, with Italy a little sluggish. All the second halves are on the way.
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Essential half-time reading, courtesy of Donald McRae:
Half-time scores
Montenegro 2-0 Lithuania
Serbia 1-0 Romania
Andorra 0-0 Kazakhstan
Kosovo 0-0 Faroe Islands
Malta 1-1 Azerbaijan
Portugal 0-0 Italy
Sweden 1-0 Turkey
Scotland 0-0 Albania
Scotland have the ball in the net ... but Naismith’s offside. Robertson, the captain who has been excellent, played a cute ball into Callum McGregor whose effort was diverted home by Naismith, who had strayed marginally offside. Scotland have done everything but score so far at Hampden Park. In fact, Memushaj has just squandered a decent chance for Albania. They need to take their chances and all that.
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GOAL! Sweden 1-0 Turkey (Thelin, 35)
Isaac Kiese Thelin scores Sweden’s first Nations League goal. Elsewhere, Montenegro have scored two goals in two minutes against Lithuania; Savic and Jankovic.
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Italy are riding their luck in Lisbon. Mario Rui flew down the left flank and his cross deflected off Bryan Cristante and on to the crossbar, with Donnarumma beaten all ends up. That comes after Bernardo Silva had his effort hacked off the line by Alessio Romagnoli. Italy have failed to trouble the Portuguese, with Ciro Immobile, er, pretty immobile and painfully isolated as it happens.
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GOAL! Serbia 1-0 Romania (Mitrovic, 26)
The Fulham striker is certainly a man in form. That’s Aleksandar Mitrovic’s fifth goal in his last four matches for club and country. It’s easy to forget he’s only 23 too.
GOAL! Malta 1-1 Azerbaijan (Khalilzade, 26)
And it’s an absolute screamer.
Christian Panucci, the Albania coach, is cutting an extremely agitated figure on the touchline at Hampden Park. Scotland are all over them, and he knows it. Tierney has just slid in a lovely ball from the left, but again Naismith cannot convert it goalwards.
Steven Naismith hits the inside of the post! Somehow, somehow, it stays out. The Scotland forward nudges a header straight on to the post from Mulgrew’s knockdown after a neat ball in by the lively John McGinn. In fairness, Alex McLeish’s side have started like a train. Moments before, McGinn seized the ball 20 yards or so from goal, swivelled and it opened up nicely for him but his curling shot was tame.
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A couple of half-chances apiece in Lisbon. First, Bernardo Silva combined with his namesake, Andre, before having a shot blocked. And then Italy went straight up the other end, with Chiesa forcing a relatively routine stop out of Rui Patricio, the Wolves keeper.
GOAL! Malta 1-0 Azerbaijan (Agius, 10)
The hosts lead in Ta’Qali.
Scotland go close again! O’Donnell whizzes in an early ball from the right and when Andrew Robertson pummels it back across goal, Johnny Russell’s effort cannons off the torso of the Albania defender. Hampden is absolutely drenched. In a rather balmier Portugal, Simone Zaza has just sent a header arcing over the bar from Giacomo Bonaventura’s cross.
Celtic’s Callum McGregor forces an early save out of Thomas Strakosha, the Albania goalkeeper. He powers his free-kick at goal, with Strakosha palming away for a corner. That initial set-piece was a result of Johnny Russell being thrown to the ground by Binaku, the Albania left-back. A bright start for Alex McLeish’s charges, at least.
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Peeeeeeeeeeeep!
John McGinn gets things started for Scotland at a sparse Hampden Park, where it’s absolutely bucketing it down. Over in Lisbon, William Collum, the Scottish referee, has just blown the whistle, with Roberto Mancini’s side kicking-off proceedings.
The teams are out of the tunnel at Hampden Park and the Estádio da Luz. Kick-off is imminent. And a reminder of all of those Nations League fixtures:
• Montenegro v Lithuania
• Serbia v Romania
• Andorra v Kazakhstan
• Kosovo v Faroe Islands
• Malta v Azerbaijan
• Portugal v Italy
• Sweden v Turkey
• Scotland v Albania
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Meanwhile, part of England’s match in Leicester on Tuesday evening will be broadcast in black and white, for the first time in almost 50 years:
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Where’s Cristiano Ronaldo? Well, he’s been rested at his own request. “After talking to the player, and after he moved to Juventus with all the processes of adaptation that entails, we understand it was best for him to not be present for these games,” coach Fernando Santos said, meaning Sevilla’s Andre Silva leads the line tonight.
Get yer Luxembourg fix, courtesy of Nick Ames:
The Uefa Nations League has raised the stakes for countries like these, charging fixtures that would barely have raised an eyebrow with unprecedented energy. Luxembourg, 85th in the world, hosted 175th-ranked Moldova knowing that qualification for Euro 2020 no longer looks a wild flight of fancy. One of the 16 teams in League D will make it and, even if a fast-tracking to the highest stage feels contrived, it makes this by far the most interesting section of Uefa’s new competition.
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Not in the Nations League, but Russia continue to prove they are not the useless mugs that they were painted out to be in places before the World Cup. They have just thumped Czech Republic 5-1 in a friendly in Rostov, with Aleksei Ionov at the double.
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If things seem pretty bleak for Scotland, then it is not exactly all going to plan for the Republic of Ireland in the wake of the latest Keane-gate:
The Republic of Ireland manager Martin O’Neill has attempted to draw a line under a row between his assistant, Roy Keane, and players Jonathan Walters and Harry Arter.
O’Neill was speaking at his pre-match press conference in Poland after a WhatsApp recording of the defender Stephen Ward was leaked in which he outlined his understanding of what had happened between the three men during the summer and which was followed by Arter making himself unavailable this month.
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Headline team news: Allan McGregor is preferred to Craig Gordon in goal, Stephen O’Donnell, the Kilmarnock right-back starts and Steven Naismith gets the nod ahead of Leigh Griffiths, while Alex McLeish has squeezed Kieran Tierney and Andrew Robertson, both left-backs by trade, into the same team. There is no room for Stuart Armstrong or Ryan Fraser, the latter who has picked up a knock. Away from Hampden Park, both Bernardo Silva and Ruben Neves, of Manchester City and Wolves respectively, start.
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The teams!
Scotland: A McGregor, Souttar, Mulgrew, Tierney, O’Donnell, McGinn, McDonald, C McGregor, Robertson, Russell, Naismith
Albania: Strakosha, Binaku, Hysaj, Veseli, Xhimshiti, Memshaj, Ndoj, Lilaj, T Xhaka, Balaj, Gavazaj
Portugal: Rui Patricio, Cancelo, Pepe, Dias, Rui, William, Neves, Pizzi, Bruma, A Silva, B Silva
Italy: Donnarumma, Lazzari, Caldara, Romagnoli, Criscito, Cristante, Jorginho, Bonaventura, Zaza, Immobile, Chiesa
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Preamble
Another wave of games and another foray into the not so long ago unknown, but this is a competition that seems to be growing on us all. Not everyone has given it the thumbs-up, but it’s better than those humdrum, meaningless friendlies. Still, the territory remains the same for Scotland, a team flagging under Alex McLeish. The manager has overseen five matches since his return, but has witnessed just a single win and goal scored. A 4-0 humbling to Belgium was pretty harrowing, and Albania is a must-win, McLeish says so himself. “If we draw or lose, then that is a bad start,” he said. “It doesn’t mean you can’t rescue it but we want to get off to a flyer at Hampden on Monday night.” Albania have always proved awkward opponents and their coach, Christian Panucci, scored to hand Italy passage to Euro 2008 at the expense of the Scots. He senses blood this time too. “They will be suffering after the defeat and will be low on confidence,” he said. Elsewhere, Portugal take on the Italians, while Sweden entertain Turkey.
Kick-offs: 7.45pm (BST)
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