Scotland have confirmed they will face Japan and Curacao in World Cup warm-up matches before travelling to the United States for the tournament. The Scottish Football Association announced the fixtures as part of the team's preparation for their first World Cup appearance since 1998.
Manager Steve Clarke expressed satisfaction with the 4-1 victory over Curacao at Hampden Park, despite a slow start. "I've got to be honest, I wasn't happy with the start," Clarke told the BBC. "The scoreline ran away from them a little bit. 11 v 11, we had a little bit of work to do to get back into the game. But a win's a win and it's good for the crowd to see a few goals."
Lawrence Shankland, who scored in the match, said the team is eager to make history. "It puts us in a good place for America," he said. "It's special. It's where you want to be. We're all looking forward to it." The striker also confirmed that he, Lyndon Dykes, Billy Gilmour, and Ryan Christie plan to get World Cup-themed tattoos.
Teenager Findlay Curtis scored his first international goal at the age of 19 and described it as a dream come true. "I'm buzzing. It's everything I dreamed of," he said. "Hopefully we can do something no Scotland team has done before and get through to the knockouts."
Curacao coach Dick Advocaat praised his team's first-half performance but acknowledged the red card changed the game. "The way we played the first half was really well, until the moment we started playing with ten," he said. "Even 11 against 11 we could lose 4-1 against a team like Scotland."
