International Friendlies
ScotlandScotland0NetherlandsNetherlands1

Scotland 0-1 Netherlands

By Tom EnglishBBC Scotland

Last updated on .From the section Footballcomments177

Netherlands striker Memphis Depay
Netherlands striker Memphis Depay opened the scoring from Ryan Babel's cross

Memphis Depay's first-half goal for the Netherlands sent Scotland to defeat under interim coach Malky Mackay.

Mackay gave debuts to Ryan Jack, Ryan Christie and Callum McGregor as the national team looked to overcome their failure to reach the World Cup.

Scotland played well in the friendly at Pittodrie, but fell behind as Depay finished off a swift counter-attack.

John McGinn, McGregor and substitutes Ryan Fraser and Jason Cummings came close to equalising after the break.

Mackay made his mark on the side, naming 20-year-old Celtic defender Kieran Tierney as captain at centre-half, on the occasion of only his ninth cap.

The friendly may be Mackay's only game in charge, though, with Scottish Football Association chief executive Stewart Regan announcing before kick-off that McKay would revert to his performance director role and not be considered among the candidates to succeed Gordon Strachan.

Scotland winger Ryan Fraser
Scotland winger Ryan Fraser almost equalised just after coming on as a substitute, but steered his effort wide

Pittodrie was never going to be mistaken for the centre of the football world. This was a friendly between two beaten nations, a pair of countries who will spend next summer in the same mournful state they were in two summers ago when Euro 2016 carried on without them.

For Scotland, this is the way of things. For the Netherlands, less so. The once brilliant Oranje are now in crisis and are putting themselves through the same kind of navel-gazing that the Scots have cornered the market in for nearly two decades.

This was largely pedestrian stuff. At least Mackay dished out some debut caps while he had the chance. Jack, the one-time Don who now hangs out at Ibrox, was booed briefly in the beginning by a portion of the home crowd, a cringe-making moment that was quickly hushed by the sound of other Scotland fans applauding him.

In Mackay's experimental line-up Tierney, a 20-year-old "freak" as his mate McGregor describes him, looked comfortable in the centre of defence. Food for thought for whoever the SFA opts for as Strachan's replacement.

Scotland had chances to go ahead, but couldn't take them. Matt Phillips, the lone striker, had a shot blocked by Crystal Palace loanee Timothy Fosu-Mensah and, on the follow up, James Forrest had one charged down by Bournemouth's Nathan Ake.

Netherlands captain Kevin Strootman and Scotland captain Kieran Tierney
Scotland defender Kieran Tierney captained the national team in only his ninth international appearance

Tierney's long ball out of defence then set Phillips away, the de facto striker getting the better of Virgil van Dijk, but not Jasper Cillessen in the Dutch goal. The captain then thundered in a shot from distance that forced Cillessen into a fine save.

The Scots weren't exactly free-flowing, but they were on top. And then they were behind. Phillips gave the ball away at one end five minutes before the break and the Dutch, who had looked comatose to this point, went on the counter, Ryan Babel crossing for Depay to tap in from close range.

Mackay made a change at half-time, Charlie Mulgrew replacing Christophe Berra as Tierney's partner at the back. Scotland carried on taking the game to the visitors and, on occasion, they did it pretty well.

McGinn lashed one just wide; McGregor, unusually quiet, hit one that Cillessen had to deal with; then, just after coming on the pitch, Fraser scampered away after being picked out by Tierney. Returning to his old stomping ground, the former Aberdeen winger took a beautiful first touch, then cut inside the Dutch defence before pushing his shot just wide. Another decent moment, another moment of frustration.

The stand-in manager was surprisingly reluctant to utilise his bench more. Energy fell out of the Scotland performance but still Fraser and Mulgrew remained his only changes.

Scotland striker Jason Cummings and interim manager Malky Mackay
Scotland interim manager sent striker Jason Cummings on late in the game, and the striker came close to an equaliser

The Dutch had little interest in extending themselves in pursuit of a second and Scotland weren't accurate enough to take advantage of the visitors' desperately creaky defence.

Cummings came on for his debut with just five minutes left and within seconds he was in on goal, but his first-time shot was too weak to trouble Cillessen unduly. There was one more chance and that went the same way as the others - Phillips, in space, getting his header all wrong and putting it wide.

Against a side that was almost an affront to the great, but faded, traditions of Dutch football, Scotland were just too wasteful to give Mackay a result in his one shot at managing the national team.

Line-ups

Scotland

Formation 4-2-3-1

  • 1Gordon
  • 2Jack
  • 5BerraSubstituted forMulgrewat 45'minutes
  • 4Tierney
  • 3Robertson
  • 6McLean
  • 8McGinnBooked at 64mins
  • 7ForrestSubstituted forFraserat 71'minutes
  • 10McGregorSubstituted forCummingsat 87'minutes
  • 11Christie
  • 9Phillips

Substitutes

  • 12Marshall
  • 13Mulgrew
  • 15Fraser
  • 16Shinnie
  • 17Paterson
  • 18Cooper
  • 19Hanlon
  • 20Cummings
  • 21Archer

Netherlands

Formation 4-3-3

  • 1Cillessen
  • 2Fosu-MensahSubstituted forVeltmanat 72'minutes
  • 3van Dijk
  • 4Rekik
  • 5Aké
  • 10Wijnaldum
  • 6Blind
  • 8StrootmanBooked at 74mins
  • 7PromesSubstituted forBerghuisat 76'minutes
  • 9Babel
  • 11Depay

Substitutes

  • 12Veltman
  • 14van Ginkel
  • 15de Ligt
  • 16van de Beek
  • 17Berghuis
  • 18Pröpper
  • 19de Jong
  • 20Sneijder
  • 21Vilhena
  • 22Zoet
  • 23Padt
Referee:
Ruddy Buquet
Attendance:
17,883

Match Stats

Home TeamScotlandAway TeamNetherlands
Possession
Home38%
Away62%
Shots
Home13
Away11
Shots on Target
Home4
Away2
Corners
Home6
Away3
Fouls
Home5
Away9

Live Text

  1. Post update

    Match ends, Scotland 0, Netherlands 1.

  2. Full Time

    Second Half ends, Scotland 0, Netherlands 1.

  3. Post update

    Foul by Memphis Depay (Netherlands).

  4. Post update

    Ryan Jack (Scotland) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  5. Post update

    Attempt missed. Matt Phillips (Scotland) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Ryan Fraser with a cross following a corner.

  6. Post update

    Corner, Scotland. Conceded by Steven Berghuis.

  7. Post update

    Attempt saved. Jason Cummings (Scotland) left footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Matt Phillips.

  8. Substitution

    Substitution, Scotland. Jason Cummings replaces Callum McGregor.

  9. Post update

    Attempt blocked. Ryan Babel (Netherlands) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Georginio Wijnaldum.

  10. Post update

    Offside, Netherlands. Kevin Strootman tries a through ball, but Joël Veltman is caught offside.

  11. Post update

    Attempt blocked. Georginio Wijnaldum (Netherlands) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Memphis Depay.

  12. Post update

    Corner, Scotland. Conceded by Nathan Aké.

  13. Substitution

    Substitution, Netherlands. Steven Berghuis replaces Quincy Promes.

  14. Booking

    Kevin Strootman (Netherlands) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

  15. Post update

    Foul by Kevin Strootman (Netherlands).

  16. Post update

    John McGinn (Scotland) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  17. Post update

    Attempt missed. Ryan Fraser (Scotland) left footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Kieran Tierney.

  18. Substitution

    Substitution, Netherlands. Joël Veltman replaces Timothy Fosu-Mensah.

  19. Substitution

    Substitution, Scotland. Ryan Fraser replaces James Forrest.

  20. Post update

    Attempt missed. Charlie Mulgrew (Scotland) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Ryan Jack.

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177 comments

  • Does no on realise that this game was of massive importance for the scotland coefficient for the Euro 2020 draw? if scotland had won they would've been in pot 2 of the seeds, now they will be pot 3, no one at the SFA has a clue about this... Switzerland were on the ball getting top seed status at wc2014 by understanding the way seedings work and arranging friendlies according... #embarrasing

  • Ryan Jack lol WHY? He adds nothing but red cards....

  • Christie deserves his chance
    Jack has been pants all season

  • 37. somersetshaub
    "Oh what a terrible shame. Yet another defeat!

    Oh well, you Scottish fans can settle back and watch England in a major tournament next summer."

    We have every intention of doing so. There's not much better in life than watching England go out of a cup on penalties.

  • Ryan christie has possibly been the best midfielder this season in spl. Ryan jack on the other hand.................

  • Ryan Jack should try the lottery. Sent off 3 times, yet 2 of them rescinded on appeal (the 2nd after 3 shoves, a head butt and a knee). Cost his team a victory with his lunacy and the manager gets the sack. Now rewarded with an international cap (at right back?). Unreal!

  • @63 Knighton Palace

    And we wonder why the Scots hate us. It's down to arrogant idiots like you who have probably never achieved anything in your sad life that makes you such a needlessly unpleasant fool. Scotland is rightly a proud nation & they have an enviable cultural identity. I for 1 was disappointed that Scotland didn't make the World Cup & am disappointed they lost tonight. Up the Scots!

  • Will Ryan Christie be the first player to play for Scotland to be out on loan from his parent club?

  • Can hear the song already -

    He's back
    He's cack
    He got his boss the sack
    It's Ryan Jack

  • No one over the age of 14 who calls himself ‘Malky’ can ever be taken seriously.

  • You can hate Ryan Jack when he wears a different blue jersey or you disagree with his call up then fair enough. But booing someone once they put on a Scotland jersey is deplorable.
    If we are too blinded by club rivalries to support our national team then it says more about you, and why we are in such a dire situation.

  • Quick point. 17,000 is only fractionally below the NI attendance in a WC play-off - hardly poor. The negativity by the journalist re Pittodrie "never going to be the centre of the footballing world" (well it is to some people!) can only point to a West Coast journalist.

  • A Millwall fan with more than 1 brain cell? I'm stunned

  • Jack 5hit from the game. Happy for Tiernan though, another achievement. Build a team around him, but pick a new team in the ivory tower and do it properly. Scottish football has no place for a cricket club manager.

  • Not a chance Jack would have been in the squad, had he still been with the Dons.
    Christie fair play, and even Shinnie would deserve a call up. But Jack...

  • Christie was brilliant the night so was Teirney. Jack played alright at RB but I would have got Patterson on at half time and Cummings for Philips a lot earlier. Philips lost his energy after the hour mark and wasn't chasing the ball.
    The game showed a lot of potential for the future for the national Team

  • This team was experimental and it showed but it still was a game that was there to win and but for the very good chances Scotland wasted they could have won this and at least should have got a draw but all in all was only a friendly match .
    Now for my other moan the English are on here running us down again lets see there multi millionaires play in Russia and fail again big time.

  • @47 sorry but can you name these English rejects? I can count only 2 of the starting line up and bench that were born in England? I agree with others that Jack should be no where near the Scotland squad. McLean anonymous whole game. As an Aberdeen fan, I think shinnie is a better player than mclean every day of the week!!

  • The friendly may be Mackay's only game in charge, though, with Scottish Football Association chief executive Stewart Regan announcing before kick-off that McKay would revert to his performance director role and not be considered
    First match in charge: you're sacked after the game.
    Oh, good luck!
    Change this idiot Stewart Regan now, + lets get stability into a young team with potential.

  • Has the BBC run out of has beens and jakes touting Derek mcinnes for the sevco job?

Scores, Results & Fixtures

Thursday 9th November 2017

  • ScotlandScotland0NetherlandsNetherlands1
  • UAEUnited Arab EmiratesPEgyptEgyptP
    Match postponed - Cancelled
  • ArmeniaArmenia4BelarusBelarus1
  • FinlandFinland3EstoniaEstonia0
  • RomaniaRomania2TurkeyTurkey0
  • IranIran2PanamaPanama1
  • LuxembourgLuxembourg2HungaryHungary1

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