Scotland secured a comfortable victory over 10-man Curaçao in a World Cup warm-up match at Hampden Park, but the win was overshadowed by the news that midfielder Billy Gilmour has been ruled out of the finals with a knee injury. Gilmour collapsed after playing a routine pass in the first half and was forced off, with his World Cup dream confirmed to be over later that evening.
The match started disastrously for Scotland, with Curaçao taking the lead through a stunning solo goal from Tahith Chong. The Sheffield United midfielder collected the ball on the halfway line, beat two defenders and wrong-footed goalkeeper Craig Gordon before slotting home. Scotland looked ragged and were booed by their own fans during the first drinks break.
The game turned just before half-time when Curaçao's Jürgen Locadia was sent off for elbowing Aaron Hickey in the face. The red card was issued after a VAR review. Scotland equalised soon after through Findlay Curtis, who replaced the injured Gilmour, before a much-improved second-half display saw them run out comfortable winners.
Manager Steve Clarke made several changes at half-time, including handing an international debut to Tyler Fletcher, son of former Scotland captain Darren. Fletcher had not been in the original squad but was brought in as a training player. The victory was soured by Gilmour's absence, continuing a wretched tournament run for the midfielder who missed Scotland's crucial final group game at Euro 2020 after contracting Covid.
Scotland now travel to the United States for the World Cup, where they will face Haiti in their opening match. The win over Curaçao, who are ranked just one place below Haiti in the world rankings, provided some cause for optimism despite the injury setback.
