Scotland’s followers have discovered there is a drawback to World Cup qualification after all. Nobody who paid – and handsomely – to sit through the sheer tedium of this fixture could reasonably deny that. Yes, Scotland, you can come to the party; but only after a clutch of international friendlies. It is just about worth the trade-off.
Officially, this marked the start of the tournament buildup for the Scots and Japan. It was a game that involved the going through of motions rather than one from which to draw strong conclusions. Japan were the slicker team, as should be expected for a nation which has aspirations of making a proper impact in the summer. Junya Ito ensured the visitors headed towards Wembley in fine fettle, his goal fitting reward for Japan’s enterprising approach.
Steve Clarke used post-match media duties to take a swipe at the home support. Scotland were booed off at full-time. Asked if that surprised him, the manager said: “Yes. And it disappointed me. “It is just the modern way. It seems to be now you lose a game, you get booed.”
Still, Scotland were passive. Punters also flooded out and into the night long before full-time. March 2016 makes the last time Scotland won a Hampden friendly. Clarke may be delighted the next one is in Liverpool. The manager has promised to make at least half a dozen changes for Tuesday’s meeting with Côte d’Ivoire.
To suggest this was a contrast to Scotland’s last appearance on Glasgow’s south side would be an understatement of the year contender. As Denmark were vanquished in extraordinary circumstances last November, a near three-decade wait to feature in a World Cup was over. Now for the uncharted territory of preparing for it.
All the opening half did was allow us all to thank Uefa for the implementation of the Nations League. The game was painfully lacking in intensity. Scott McTominay could have lifted the atmosphere inside 10 minutes but a combination of a half-hearted shot from six yards and the reflexes of Zion Suzuki denied Scotland an opener. The hosts were almost nonexistent as an attacking force for the remainder of the period. Japan were only marginally more threatening aside a Ao Tanaka attempt which clipped the top of the crossbar and a Yuito Suzuki effort which was tame enough for Angus Gunn to save.
Clarke had promised to “raise eyebrows” with his team selection. There was a start for the lesser-spotted Nathan Patterson at left-back and deployment on the left side of the attack. Lyndon Dykes was deprived of service as the central striker but the lingering sense remains that Scotland should have better options than the Charlton Athletic man by now.
Clarke has to tread carefully. Ghosts of tournaments past – the Scots flopped at their previous two Euros appearances – still resonate with the Tartan Army. Before the second of those, two years ago, a poor run of form in the buildup set a tone. Scotland turned heads and earned huge plaudits for making it to this summer’s jamboree. They could do with reaching the United States while carrying momentum. Disregarding games such as this one is unwise.
McTominay, unsurprisingly, sought to raise the tone. The Napoli man’s burst from midfield drew a foul, with McTominay’s subsequent free-kick tipped over by Zion Suzuki. The Japan goalkeeper produced an even better stop after Andy Robertson broke forward and tried to beat him with an angled drive.
Japan had the generosity of deploying Daizen Maeda from the outset despite a generally miserable season for the forward at Celtic. Maeda was even given the captaincy. Nothing he did during his 62 minutes on the field suggested he should be a serious World Cup option. Maeda looks totally devoid of confidence.
While Maeda was error prone, John McGinn was anonymous for the hosts. McGinn, too, departed the scene shortly after the hour. George Hirst replaced Dykes. One of Japan’s replacements, came close to a wonderful goal but watched his 18-yard half volley drop narrowly wide of Gunn’s left-hand post. Mitoma’s next act was to supply a glorious pass to Ito. After bobbing, jinking and weaving Ito was unable to beat Gunn. Mitoma tried again, Kenny McLean this time booting a net-bound shot clear. As the minutes ticked down, Japan were clicking into gear.
Hirst carved out Scotland’s best opportunity, 12 minutes from time. Having stolen a match on the Japanese defence and cut inside, the Ipswich man lashed into the side netting. Ito and Japan decided they had encountered quite enough shadow boxing. From Kento Shiogai’s lay off, Ito clipped the ball home via the wrongfooted Gunn’s outstretched leg.
