Here is Andy Hunter’s report from Hampden.
With that I am off. Our match report from Hampden will be dropping shortly...
Post mortem: For Scotland, the problems in front of goal persist but Clarke’s side do not struggle to create chances. Robertson, Tierney, Gimour, McGinn, Hanley and Christie all had very presentable chances to put Moldova in the rearview mirror but failed to take them.
Scotland up to third in Group F and now face an Austria side that conceded five in Israel.
Full time scores
Ukraine 1-1 France
Faroe Islands 0-1 Denmark
Israel 5-2 Austria
Gibraltar 0-3 Turkey
Netherlands 4-0 Montenegro
Slovakia 0-0 Croatia
Goal! Israel 5-2 Austria (Zahavi 90)
A late cherry on top for the Israelis will be a welcome boost in a group that could well come down the goal difference...
Full-time: Scotland 1-0 Moldova
Scotland should have won by several more but they can reflect on a job well done tonight.
Goal! Gibraltar 0-3 (Karaman 83)
Beşiktaş striker Kenan Karaman has got Turkey’s third.
90 min: We are into five minutes of added time at Hampden.
Goal! Faroe Islands 0-1 Denmark (Wind 85)
I should never mentioned it, sincere apologies to the Faroese. With the home side down to ten following Rene Joensen’s dismissal, Jonas Wind has broken the deadlock.
Updated
87 min: Ryan Christie does everything right apart from score. The new Bournemouth man makes an excellent turn on the edge of the box, has a clear sight of goal but like so many for Scotland tonight cannot find the finish, blazing over the bar.
84 min: Dykes makes way for Turnbull. Scotland still knocking on the door just prior but Tierney’s dangerous ball across the Moldova six yard box fails to find a man in blue.
80 min: Ten minutes to go in Tórshavn and it is still all square between the Faroe Islands and Denmark. This would be a stunning result if the Faroese can hang on.
Updated
Netherlands 4-0 Montenegro (Gakpo 76)
Cody Gakpo has netted his first international goal with a curler from the egde of the box.
Gibraltar 0-2 Turkey (Çalhanoğlu 65)
That should do it for the visitors.
73 min: More changes for Scotland. Off go the impressive Gilmour and Robertson for Kenny McLean and Liam Cooper. Cooper is immediately in the wars, suffering a clash of heads but after a brief check up looks fine to continue as does the Moldovan Ginsari.
Netherlands 3-0 Montengro
Apologies but I appear to have missed Depay’s second for the Dutch. Gini Wijnaldum has now added a third at the Philips Stadion. Routine for the hosts.
69 min: Adams has a go from range and it gets a wicked deflection off Bolohan that takes it only just past the post. Nothing doing from the corner.
Goal! Israel 4-2 Austria (Weissman 58)
What a game in Haifa! This one will be worth a watch on the highlights later
Goal! Gibraltar 0-1 Turkey (Dervişoğlu 54)
Finally one of the minnows succumbs.
66 min: Che Adams and Callum McGregor are on for Scotland, replacing Kevin Nisbet and John McGinn.
Goal! Israel 3-2 (Arnautovic 55)
Bit of catching up here but that thing I said earlier about Austria being out of sight... yeah you can ignore that. Game on.
61 min: “Other side of the goal wee man!” McCoist cannot believe it as Gilmour misses a simple chance to get the second. It is great stuff from the Chelsea man to work the opportunity as he nicks the ball in the final third, plays a one-two with McGinn and appears to have a tap-in from five yards. Somehow the Norwich loanee misses the target head in
60 min: A rare bit of action for Craig Gordon in the Scotland goal. He comfortably gets behind a Jardan strike from distance.
Goal! Ukraine 1-1 France (Martial 50)
Anthony Martial has ended a five-year barren run for his country with a scrappy effort (they all count). It is all square in Kiev.
53 min: Good positive stuff from Patterson down the right as he cuts in and bursts into the box. Moldova make a hash of the clearance and McGinn has a golden chance to extend the lead but his shot from the edge of the box hits the only defender in the midfielder’s path. Hanley probably should do better with his header from the resulting corner too. You hope Scotland do not rue these missed chances later.
49 min: Ally McCoist really is a fantastic commentator. He was great for ITV during the Euros and he has continued that form into the September internationals.
Updated
Second half: Scotland 1-0 Moldova
46 min: Moldova kick off. Can Scotland extend their lead?
Pablo Miguez has emailed in:
As a minnows’ fan, I am glad with the half time results with Gibraltar and the Faroe Islands both drawing against teams who played the Euros championship recently. Go minnows!
Quite right, Pablo.
Half-time scores
Ukraine 1-0 France
Faroe Islands 0-0 Denmark
Israel 3-1 Austria
Gibraltar 0-0 Turkey
Netherlands 1-0 Montenegro
Slovakia 0-0 Croatia
Goal! Ukraine 1-0 France (Shaparenko 44)
Well, well, well... Mykola Shaparenko has hit a stunner in Kiev. Sloppy French defending and the 20-year-old finds the top corner from the edge of the box. France have been less than convincing so far in qualification and that looks like it could continue.
Updated
Goal! Israel 3-1 Austria (Baumgartner 42)
A way back for Austria? The second goal from a Hoffenheim player in Israel, this time for the visitors as Christoph Baumgartner gives Austria a lifeline.
Half-time: Scotland 1-0 Moldova
With that the whistle goes for the interval.
44 min: Chance for Moldova! A cracking inswinging corner from the right drops towards Potirniche and Nisbet does well to put him off. After a half of near total dominance the fragility of Scotland’s lead was exposed there.
Netherlands 1-0 Montenegro (Depay 38)
Barcelona man Memphis Depay gets the first goal in Eindhoven. The Dutch talisman scores from the spot after winning the penalty himself.
Goal! Israel 3-0 Austria (Zahavi 33)
Eran Zahavi has put Austria out of sight. A despondent Austria could be good for Scotland, who visit Vienna next.
34 min: Scotland are playing some great stuff. Gilmour rolls a pass into Tierney’s path for another shot after a period of Scotland pressure, the shot is saved but the adventure being shown by the hosts is exactly what the Scotland fans will want to see.
30 min: Tierney and Gilmour take it in turns to test Avram in the Moldova goal. Both smart efforts from distance but relatively comfortable for the keeper.
29 min: Now it is Robertson’s turn to waste a glorious chance. Put in by Christie as he rampages down the left, the skipper can only blaze his strike over the bar. Harder than Tierney’s chance but still highly presentable.
Updated
26 min: Oh Kieran Tierney what was that? Free header, less than six yards out and the Arsenal man directs his effort into the floor and sees it bounce over the bar. Big miss.
Goal! Israel 2-0 Austria (Dabbur 20)
Hoffenheim striker Mu’nas Dabbur has doubled Israel’s lead in Haifa. If the results stay as they are then Scotland will go above Austria into third in Group F.
24 min: Kevin Nisbet has a sniff of chance but dordles on the edge of the box and see the ball nicked off his toe.
21 min: Group F has seen the only goals so far this evening. You are definitely in the right place.
18 min: Immediate pressure on Scotland as Patterson concedes a needless free-kick just outside his own box on the Moldova right. It is not cleared properly and the visitors get their first corner, Hanley does a better job of clearing that.
Goal! Scotland 1-0 Moldova (Dykes 13)
Wonderful move finished off by Lyndon Dykes at the back post. Lovely sweeping move down the right featuring Patterson and Nisbet leads to the QPR having the easiest of finishes at the back post. Perfect start for Scotland!
Updated
Goal! Israel 1-0 Austria
Manor Solomon has put the hosts ahead at the Sammy Ofer Stadium.
9 min: Tierney is nominally on the left of the back three but he has been pushed up alongside Roberston outside him in the early stages here. Death by a left-back is the order of the day.
7 min: Scotland now need to focus on getting a firm grip on this game. They have shown they can cause problems but they are yet to really settle into a rhythm and get Moldova moving from side to side.
3 min: Robertson plays a nice one-two on the edge of the box and it briefly looks like he will get a shooting chance but is ultimately closed down well. Clarke will be happy with how his side have come out.
2 min: McGinn picks up the ball just inside his own half and drives upfield before releasing Patterson on the right. The wing-back cuts inside and shoots harmlessly wide. Positive start
Peeeeeep!
We are underway at Hampden.
Steve Clarke’s pre-match interview was all-business. The message was pretty clear: Scotland must start on the front foot. There will be debates over who should the lead the line for Scotland, with Lyndon Dykes getting the nod tonight, but this is close to Clarke’s strongest team with McGinn back in the side. Anything other than a win will be a disaster here.
Nice little feature with Andy Robertson on Sky. He seems a thoroughly likeable chap and a proper player.
50 - 27-year-old Andrew Robertson is the 33rd player to reach 50 caps for Scotland, with only Paul McStay, Kenny Dalglish and Darren Fletcher reaching the milestone at a younger age than the captain. Flower. https://t.co/sdQF6dxOvE
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) September 4, 2021
Having dislocated his finger against Norway, Virgil van Dijk is on the bench against Montenegro. Liverpool fans, no doubt, are delighted with Louis van Gaal’s decision.
Our 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗫𝗜 🦁
— OnsOranje (@OnsOranje) September 4, 2021
Congrats on your debut Tyrell! 👏#WCQ2022 #NEDMON pic.twitter.com/KJTMBiTg29
Poor Barry Glendenning has had to endure another minging performance from Ireland, who needed a late Shane Duffy equaliser for a point at home against Azerbaijan. Stephen Kenny’s side have not won a competitive fixture in 15 games. More details below:
Antony Martial cannot get a look at his club side at the moment but Didier Deschamps is his own man. With Kylian Mbappe out injured the Manchester United forward leads the line for Les Bleus. Raphael Varane and Karim Benzema are both on the bench.
La composition pour affronter l'Ukraine ! 🇺🇦🇫🇷
— Equipe de France ⭐⭐ (@equipedefrance) September 4, 2021
Coup d'envoi dès 20H45 sur M6 💥 #FiersdetreBleus #UKRFRA pic.twitter.com/wIJPSrDZ9K
The teams
Scotland XI: Gordon, Hendry, Hanley, Tierney, Patterson, McGinn, Gilmour, Christie, Robertson, Nisbet, Dykes.
Subs: Kelly, Clark, O’Donnell, McGregor, Adams, McKenna, Gallagher, Cooper, Ferguson, Turnbull, Fraser, McLean.
Moldova XI: Avram; Bolohan, Armas, Potirniche; Jardan, Rata, Ginsari, Ionita, Reabciuk; Platica, Ghecev.
Subs: Namasco, Dumbravanu, Clescenco, Spataru, Agachi, Bogaciuc, Marandici, Antoniuc, Belousov, Dros, Milinceanu, Revenco.
Updated
Preamble
There are plenty of matches left for Steve Clarke and his Scotland team in this World Cup qualification tournament but you get the feeling this is a crucial one. Failure to take advantage of welcoming Group F’s bottom side to Hampden would make an uphill battle considerably more steep.
After beating the Scots 2-0 in midweek, Denmark are now seven points clear. Israel and Austria are just two ahead of Clarke’s men and but he said that he has not given up on top spot.
“Obviously, after the last result, it’s going to be more difficult to be first,” said Clarke in the buildup to the Moldova fixture. “Is second still attainable? Very much so.”
John McGinn, Stephen O’Donnell, Nathan Patterson and Kevin Nisbet all return after missing the defeat in Copenhagen. Nisbet had a knock, while the others were all absent for Covid-related issues.
Elsewhere in Group F, Israel welcome Austria, while Denmark travel to the Faroe Islands.
I will also be keeping an eye on all the World Cup qualifiers taking place across Europe:
Ukraine v France
Faroe Islands v Denmark
Israel v Austria
Gibraltar v Turkey
Netherlands v Montenegro
Slovakia v Croatia
