Scotland secured a comfortable victory over 10-man Curaçao in their final World Cup send-off friendly at Hampden Park, but the win was overshadowed by a knee injury to midfielder Billy Gilmour that has ruled him out of the tournament.
Gilmour collapsed after playing a routine pass in the first half and was forced off. His demeanour as he left the pitch suggested his World Cup dream was in doubt, and the Scottish Football Association later confirmed he would miss the finals. The 22-year-old had also been sidelined by Covid during Scotland's Euro 2020 campaign after being named man of the match against England.
Scotland fell behind early when Tahith Chong scored a stunning solo goal, collecting the ball on the halfway line, beating two defenders and slotting past Craig Gordon. The hosts struggled to respond until Curaçao were reduced to 10 men before half-time when Jürgen Locadia elbowed Aaron Hickey in the face. Referee Goga Kikacheishvili issued a red card after a VAR review.
Findlay Curtis equalised for Scotland after replacing the injured Gilmour, swivelling and shooting from Kenny McLean's deflected pass. A raft of half-time substitutions included a debut for Tyler Fletcher, son of former captain Darren Fletcher, who had not originally been named in the squad but was brought in as a training player. Scotland added further goals in the second half to seal a convincing win.
Manager Steve Clarke had rested several key players including Scott McTominay, John McGinn, Kieran Tierney, Lewis Ferguson and Ché Adams, who only joined the squad on Friday. The match was chosen as preparation for the World Cup because Curaçao and Scotland's group opponents Haiti are ranked one place apart in the world rankings.
