SCOTLAND 4 CURACAO 1
STEVE CLARKE and his World Cup-bound Scots got the perfect send-off as they overwhelmed Dick Advocaat’s Curacao at Hampden this afternoon.
Around 45,000 Tartan Army fans turned out to wish the players farewell as they prepare for the soccer extravaganza in the USA, Canada and Mexico which kicks off on June 11.
Clarke was keen to get a work-out for his players before they headed out and he would have been pleased with this performance.
NUMBER ONE…Steve Clarke’s message for the Tartan Army.
As a learning curve, the international gaffer would have frowned when the visitors took a 17th-minute lead with a breakaway goal that sliced through his central defence.
A diagonal long ball from the left was superbly controlled by Sheffield United striker Tahith Chong who raced away from the lumbering Scott McKenna on the halfway line.
The pacy frontman headed for the penalty area, sidestepped John Souttar and then fired past the helpless Craig Gordon at his left-hand corner.
The Scots looked more than a little alarmed, but ex-Rangers gaffer Advocaat’s team didn’t help themselves when they were reduced to 10 men in the 37th minute.
Powerhouse frontman Jurgen Lucadia sent Aaaron Hickey crashing with an elbow to the jaw after a clumsy challenge and, following a VAR check, a red card was produced.
Finlay Curtis came on for the limping Billy Gilmour five minutes later and the on-loan Kilmarnock winger levelled only moments afterwards.
He tucked away a low left-hand drive from an angle after good service from Kenny McLean.
WORLD CUP FINALS HERE WE COME…Ryan Christie. who netted the fourth against Curacao, celebrates qualifying for ties against Haiti, Morocco and Brazil.
The encounter was deadlocked until the 59th minute when Ibrox-bound Lawrence Shankland whipped in a right-foot effort after being set up by Ryan Christie.
Five minutes later, the former Hearts skipper repeated the feat after a clever ball across the box from Lyndon Dykes.
And it was all over in the 80th minute when Curtis was sent tumbling in the box and Christie claimed his tenth international goal with a low drive into the corner as the keeper went the wrong way.
Celtic right-back Anthony Ralston was a 77th-minute substitute for skipper Andy Robertson, but Hoops team-mate Kieran Tierney got the day off.
The Scots now face Bolivia in Boston a week tonight in another warm-up confrontation before the real action takes place with group matches against Haiti, Morocco and Brazil.
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