Key events
51 min: McGinn finds Patterson on the right touchline. Patterson plays a first-time crossfield ball to Conway, who dinks back inside for McTominay, bursting down the middle. It’s a glorious, sweeping move, and one ended when Fujita skittles the in-flight midfielder over. It’ll be a free kick, just to the left of centre, 25 yards out.
49 min: Goto chases after a simple long pass down the left, enters the box, and whip-cracks a first-time shot towards the bottom left. Gunn claims.
48 min: The corner’s worked back down the left flank to Robertson, who flings one in. McTominay heads over the bar. VAR would have ruled any goal out, as Ferguson was offside during the build-up.
47 min: No changes for Scotland, though, who may or may not have been given a rocket. Hendry slips a ball down the right for McGinn, who stands one up for Conway. Seko heads behind for a corner.
Scotland get the second half started. Japan have made three changes, sending on Mitoma, Taniguchi and Junnosuke Suzuki for Hiroki Ito, Kodai Sano and Watanabe.
Half-time postbag. “I’m in no ways complaining about an international break with not much in the way of jeopardy for Scotland,” begins James Humphries, “but hooee, this is making the Nations League look a better and better idea, isn’t it?
Half-time entertainment. To a certain generation of Scottish football fan, this particular scoreline can only mean one thing: the glory and majesty of the 2006 Kirin Cup. Reminisce and enjoy!
(HISTORICAL FOOTNOTE: Scotland lived high on the hog as Kirin Cup champions for a whole year, until Highlander, the Guardian Unlimited Sports Desk Crow and Portent Of Doom dropped it from his beak Japan reclaimed it 13 months later.)
HALF TIME: Scotland 0-0 Japan
Japan have been much the better side. This scoreline flatters the hosts, and that factors in Scott McTominay squandering the best chance of the match.
45 min +2: A free kick for Japan out on the left. Kodai Sano curls it in. Watanabe heads straight at Gunn. Scotland could do with hearing the half-time whistle.
45 min +1: Sugawara advances down the right, reaching the byline. He cuts back for Kodai Sano, who can’t force a header home from close range. Scotland hack clear, just in time.
45 min: Robertson crosses from the left. Zion Suzuki flaps the ball away, under pressure from McTominay. Patterson returns the ball into the mixer from the right. McTominay wins a header this time, but can’t generate enough power to trouble the keeper, who gathers without drama.
44 min: Fujita stands on Patterson’s foot. Accidental rather than malicious, but Patterson felt that. He stays down awhile, but eventually gets up.
42 min: McLean ships possession cheaply in the centre circle, and suddenly Japan are romping forward, three on two. The hosts are very fortunate that Maeda shoots straight at Gunn, with better options nearby.
41 min: Robertson advances down the left and shanks a cross out for a goal kick. Still nothing happening for the hosts up front.
40 min: Ferguson takes up possession on the right and slows things down. A couple of assured touches. He slips a pass infield for McGinn, who speeds things up with an attempt to release Conway down the middle. But that’s intercepted. McGinn has been way off it, the one dinked cross for McTominay apart. Japan counter and Sano meets a right-wing cross with a snapshot that sails over the bar. A Japanese goal feels in the post.
38 min: Yuito Suzuki nips in from the right and attempts a one-two. The ball breaks to Tanaka, who pings a rising shot off the top of the bar. Gunn beaten all ends up. Scotland once again opened up all too easily, and Japan are totally bossing this now.
36 min: It’s all Japan now, and the visitors win another corner, this time down the right. It’s hit long for Seko, who prepares to head home from close range. But McLean arrives to head behind, and Gunn claims the next corner. Scotland need to wake up quicksmart.
34 min: Fujita has a bit of space and time, 25 yards out. Instead of shooting, he looks for Sugawara down the right channel. Sugawara is free … but then, all of a sudden, he’s not, because McGinn turns up just in time to intercept. Scotland almost opened up.
33 min: Sano’s second corner is dealt with by Dykes.
32 min: Ferguson, Patterson and McGinn make a meal of clearing upfield, and Kodai Sano earns a corner. The set piece leads to a minor stramash in the Scottish box. Goto can’t get a snapshot away. But Japan will get a second chance.
30 min: Another long-range Japan shot, this time by Kodai Sano down the right channel. Gunn claims, though not in a completely convincing style. He requires a double-snaffle. Had anyone been steaming in, sniffing for a rebound, there might have been trouble.
28 min: McGinn’s radar is a bit off at the moment. Now he’s got the opportunity to release Patterson down the right flank, but clanks a simple pass straight into the nearest white shirt. It’s not quite happened for Scotland yet, the McTominay chance apart. Which, to be fair, McGinn set up.
26 min: McGinn tries to spread the play with a long diagonal towards Robertson on the left flank. But that’s overhit. Robertson makes a brave attempt to keep the ball in play with a leaping header, but can’t manage it. Warm applause for the all-round intent anyway.
24 min: Ito sends a long pass down the left towards Maeda. Patterson tries to hook clear and misses the ball, slipping over. But the ball hits Maeda on the back, allowing Patterson to spring up, recover, and reclaim. He clears. A bit of a mixed bag from Patterson so far.
22 min: Japan are beginning to dominate possession and territory. Scotland happy enough to sit back and watch them do it for now. Nothing much happening in the final third.
20 min: Seko overhits a cross from the right. Maeda waits in vain in the middle. But Japan come again, and this time Maeda gets the ball, winning a corner down the left. Sano hits the set piece long, but Scotland deal with it easily enough. Both teams showing promise in attack without quite yet catching alight.
18 min: McLean picks up possession on the halfway line. You know exactly what the crowd, almost as one, entreat him to do. I won’t insult your intelligence.
16 min: Patterson’s poor ball upfield is intercepted, and Japan counter. Scotland are fortunate that Tanaka overhits his attempt to release Ito down the left channel. Goal kick.
14 min: Hampden isn’t roaring. More of a contented rumble. That’s what slaking a 28-year thirst does.
12 min: McLean dribbles elegantly down the inside-left channel. He can shoot if he wants, and he’s within his rights. But it’s clearly not far out enough. Instead he tries to slip Dykes into the box down the channel, but the striker’s not expecting the pass. Shame, because that was a hell of a dribble. Shoot! All the time! You’re allowed. You’ve earned the right in perpetuity.
10 min: Fujita has a crack from distance. He’s aiming for the top right but his shot is too close to Gunn, who deals with the shot without fuss.
9 min: … although given what McTominay did against Denmark last November, it’s hard to begrudge the man the odd mistake.
8 min: McGinn dinks a cross in from the right. McTominay, steaming in, meets the ball six yards out, and surely must score. But he hits straight at Zion Suzuki, who sticks out a hand. A brilliant reaction stop that turns the ball onto the right-hand post and away. But he should never have been allowed to make the save. Scotland should be leading.
7 min: A few touches for Patterson out on the right flank. Not really worthy of mention in and of itself, but the BBC had Ralston in his right-back position on the pre-match graphic, so let’s clear that up.
5 min: Goto busies himself down the right this time. The ball comes into the Scotland box and Maeda takes an air-swipe at it. Scotland clear their lines.
4 min: Goto latches onto a loose ball near the centre circle, and has a go for goal, McLean having clearly set a trend. But the whistle goes for a foul earlier in the move, so it’s all in vain.
3 min: Otherwise, it’s been a fairly uneventful start. Scotland seeing a lot of the ball, as they pass it around the back.
2 min: Both men took a rare old whack there. Both are fine to continue. A friendly hand clasp after the accident. No hard feelings.
10 seconds: McGinn and Tanaka clash heads. Play stops. It was good while it lasted.
Japan get the ball rolling. Hampden roars!
The teams are out! Scotland sport their new away strip of salmon with pinstripes, sleeve/collar accents and classic trefoil. Japan are also in their change gear, an equally delicious white number with black trim and multi-coloured pinstripes: basically, what West Germany would have looked like at the 1974 World Cup had it ever stopped raining and the sun come out. We’ll be off in a minute!
Pre-match postbag. “Kenny McLean has the look of a man who knows he’ll never have to buy another pint for the rest of his life. I know the feeling, but that’s because I’m barred from most pubs in Scotland, rather than being the person who scored one of the most famous goals in Scottish football history. It’s saved me a fortune though, have you seen the price of a pint these days, people have a cheek banging on about fuel” – Simon McMahon
“Japan are playing an experimental side but Sano Kodai of Nijmegen is a player that excites the Japan support. Looking forward to the match” – Tony Mason
“Being of a certain age, I’m just not sure I’ll ever warm to chromatically coordinated crests. But salmon with pinstripes, sleeve/collar accents and a classic trefoil? Yes, please!” – Grant Tennille (who can speak for your MBM hack also)
Last November’s hero Kenny McLean has a quick chat with the BBC. “The last time we saw [the fans] they were obviously going mental in this place. Maybe it won’t be as loud but hopefully we can give them something to cheer about tonight.”
… and so, inevitably, because the question has to be asked … does that mean another goal from the halfway line? “Eh … I mean … [flashes cheeky smile] … I’ll give it a try at some point, I’m sure!”
Scotland boss Steve Clarke speaks to the BBC. “It’s been a long time since November … it’s good to be here … a bit changeable, the weather! … hopefully it stays dry for the game … we’ll get a good crowd in … I’ve been very impressed with the Japanese … I need to look at certain players in certain positions … that’s what these games are for … there are no surprises in the formation … it’s 4-4-2 … hopefully we’ll cause them a lot of problems.”
Japan striker Daizen Maeda is no stranger to Hampden Park, thanks to his day job at Celtic, and he leads the line today. Leeds midfielder Ao Tanaka also starts for the visitors, while Kaoru Mitoma of Brighton and Crystal Palace’s Daichi Kamada are on the bench. The Samurai Blue’s list of long-term injured includes captain Waturu Endo of Liverpool, Real Sociedad winger Takefusa Kubo, and Monaco forward Takumi Minamino.
Scotland make five changes to the team sent out to beat Denmark last November. Angus Gunn, Nathan Patterson, Jack Hendry, Tommy Conway and halfway-line hero Kenny McLean take the places of John Souttar and Ryan Christie, who are on the bench, and the missing Craig Gordon, Aaron Hickey and Ben Gannon-Doak. Middlesbrough forward Conway returns to the team after missing the entire qualification campaign. The promising 19-year-old striker Findlay Curtis, on loan at Kilmarnock from Rangers, hopes to make his debut.
The teams
Scotland: Gunn, Patterson, Robertson, McTominay, McGinn, Dykes, Hendry, Ferguson, Conway, McLean, McKenna.
Subs: Kelly, Bain, Hanley, Tierney, Gilmour, Adams, Christie, Miller, Souttar, McCrorie, Hyam, Hirst, Ralston, Irving, Curtis.
Japan: Zion Suzuki, Seko, Watanabe, Hiroki Ito, Sugawara, Fujita, Tanaka, Maeda, Yuito Suzuki, Kodai Sano, Goto.
Subs: Hayakawa, Osako, Taniguchi, Hashioka, Junnosuke Suzuki, Kaishu Sano, Junya Ito, Doan, Mitoma, Kamada, Nakamura, Ueda, Ogawa, Shiogai, Machino.
Preamble
Four months ago, this happened …
… and now Scotland are coming down the road. A 28-year World Cup thirst will be slaked in three months’ time, and the prep starts now. Kick-off is at 5pm GMT. It’s on!
