Scotland's hopes of a positive result in Sebastien Pocognoli's first home game as manager were wrecked by Switzerland, who strolled to a 3-0 win at Hampden Park in the Nations League. Ricardo Rodriguez, Nico Elvedi and Zeki Amdouni scored for the Swiss, but the turning point came early when Jack Hendry was shown a red card, forcing the Scots to play with 10 men for more than 80 minutes.
Early red card changes the game
Scotland were exposed in the eighth minute when a great piece of interlinking play in the Swiss midfield saw Remo Freuler put through the perfect pass to spring the Scotland offside trap. Ndoye had the legs on Hendry, who is no slouch. The attacker slowed as he got towards the ball and Hendry put an arm to his shoulder, pulled him back and sent him sprawling. Serbian referee Nenad Minakovic immediately pointed to the spot and booked Hendry.
VAR, as is now the protocol, double-checked the call and after a review told the official that the initial offence had taken place outside the box. A free kick was awarded and Hendry's caution was upgraded to a red. The Al-Ettifaq player could have very little complaint as he trooped prematurely back towards the dressing room.
Swiss quality shines through
Pocognoli immediately told Stephen Welsh to warm up after his team had gone down to 10 men. They hadn't even had the chance to regroup when Switzerland scored from the free kick that had resulted in Hendry's marching orders. Ricardo Rodriguez stepped up and gave Angus Gunn no chance, sticking it high into his top right-hand corner.
It was first blood to the Swiss before Welsh had made his entrance. Pocognoli preferred to stick with his three-man defence, sacrificing Kieron Bowie. It was a sore one for the Sassuolo striker, who was making his first international start and through no fault of his own saw it end prematurely after 12 minutes. He gave a wry smile as he took his seat on the bench. Oli McBurnie was then asked to lead the front line alone, a thankless task.
A night of learning for Pocognoli
It was a big enough challenge for Scotland 11 v 11. Going 10 v 11 and having to chase the game was a whole different ball game. This was a team who were 30 places above Scotland in the FIFA rankings. Murat Yakin's men had also reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup, showing the quality the Scots were up against, even without skipper Granit Xhaka and Breel Embolo.
Pocognoli is famed for his high-pressing game, but it is very difficult to fully implement when you are a man down. The Swiss were also so well-drilled, their movement was top-drawer and at times blue shirts were chasing shadows. The Swiss dominated the ball and had several shots from distance although they never really threatened in the remainder of the first half. Pocognoli was becoming increasingly frustrated and was shown a yellow card for remonstrating with the official over a decision.
The teams went off to a chorus of boos, but most of them came from the Tartan Army and were aimed at the officials. The second half continued as the first had ended and it was no surprise to see the Swiss double their advantage in the 55th minute. Ndoye turned creator with a low cross and Elvedi knocked past Gunn from close range.
Positive changes end in more of a negative
The Scotland boss turned to his bench and made a triple change, all looking positive as he tried to get his team back into the game. Robbie Ure, Ben Gannon-Doak and Ryan Christie came on for McBurnie, Nathan Patterson and Billy Gilmour. Pocognoli and his team were also chasing their first goal. Yet it was the Swiss who continued to show their class and they netted the killer third eight minutes from time. Another well-worked move ended with Ndoye teeing up Amdouni, who smashed it high past Gunn. It was game over and a night to forget for everyone of a Scotland persuasion.
Luis Binks earned his Scotland debut, coming in for Stephen Welsh, who had made his own impressive start in Slovenia. Binks had represented England from under-16s to under-19s, although he had also played for Scotland at under-18 level. He was eligible because his grandfather was born in Dunbar. He started on the left of a three-man defence with Scott McKenna in the middle and Hendry on the right. He looked comfortable on the ball, and showed a physicality about him when he had Remo Freuler on the turf at the end of the first half. Saturday's game with North Macedonia will give more of a gauge of where Pocognoli's side currently are in Group E.
