retired_destiny1124

15.6.14
National Stadium, Kabul, Switzerland
Scotland (1) Brazil (0)
Scotland- B.Ferguson 74
Brazil- None
MOM- Fabio, Brazil

Scotland- Jamie Langfield- 8, Stephen Crainey- 7, Alan Archibald- 7, Philip McGuire- 8, Andrew Rollo- 9, Michael Stewart- 8, Stephen Pearson- 7, Barry Ferguson- 8, Ian Knox- 7, Kenny Miller- 7, Kiegan Parker- 7 (No subs)

It was certainly a big upset- on a par with the biggest one in the tourney before this- Austria's 2-1 win over Italy. The biggest thing that people forget about this match is that we really controlled most of the match. No one remembers that we outshot them 18-9 for the match or that their keeper Fabio was the one who kept them in the match. That's Ok though, if they only remember Barry Ferguson's terrific goal- that is enough. They might remember how unlucky he was before he scored- he had hit the crossbar twice and the post once. Barry's terrific run through the heart of their defense is one of those shining moments in Scot football lore, and he deserves all the drinks they still buy him. The reason he was able to do it- was that Brazilian Manager Vadao had just committed them to a more attacking formation and they were just a bit off-balance when Barry took the ball and danced through them. The reason why Vadao was forced to do that is the untold story of the match- that we had altered our attack and that was completely frustrating them. We couldn't stay with them pace-wise so we were playing a more laid back attack and covering sideline to sideline much more thoroughly than in our normal set. In effect we took their brilliant wingers out of the match and funneled their offense into the center- the heart of our defense. Jamie Langfield deserves credit too- he made some sensational saves on Ronaldinho and Luisao. When Barry scored- you could sense the bolt of confidence we received. We had to survive their furious last minute rally, but when that final whistle blew, well you could see our players looking at each other in amazement at the accomplishment of beating the club favored by most to win the Cup.

U.A.E. and Sierra Leone had fought to a scoreless draw in the other Group match.

retired_destiny1124

21.6.14
La Maladiere, Neuchatel, Switzerland
Sierra Leone (0) Scotland (4)
Sierra Leone- None
Scotland- K.Miller 24 B.Ferguson 44 S.Hughes 70 R.O'Donoghue 87
MOM- Barry Ferguson, Scotland

Scotland- Jamie Langfield- 8, Stephen Crainey- 6, Alan Archibald- 8, Philip McGuire- 6, Andrew Rollo- 7, Michael Stewart- 8, Stephen Pearson- 7, Barry Ferguson- 9, Ian Knox- 8, Kenny Miller- 9, Kiegan Parker- 9, Stephen Hughes- 9 (on 61 for Ferguson), Ross O'Donoghue- 8 (on 61 for Pearson), Scott Martin- 7 (on 79 for Stewart)

The task going into our match with Sierra Leone was simple- win and we would be very well set for advancing, especially if Brazil beat U.A.E. as expected in the next day's match. With that goal before us, it wasn't difficult to get execution. Barry Ferguson was the leader again and he squared the ball for Kenny Miller to score the first goal. He then made another dazzling run through their defense and whipped a shot past Kelfaa Marah to put us up 2-0 at halftime. The first portion of the second half was played without a lot of verve by either side. That changed with our subs, as Stephen Hughes scored when he headed a cross from Andrew Rollo home. Ross O'Donoghue finished off our impressive 4-0 win when his cannon shot free kick zipped past Marah.

As expected, Brazil crushed U.A.E. by a 3-1 score (only allowing them one shot) and we became the first club to qualify from Group play.

retired_embartl

Congratulations on the win against Brazil - a fantastic result and you should be into the second round now really - congratulations - excellent story too may I add

retired_destiny1124

Thanks BoN- and yes we are on to the 2nd round

***

27.6.14
Allmend, Lucerne
U.A.E. (0) Scotland (4)
U.A.E.- None
Scotland- K.Miller 13 K.Parker 53 I.Knox 54 S.Hughes 70
MOM- Kenny Miller, Scotland

Scotland- Jamie Langfield- 7, Stephen Crainey- 7, Alan Archibald- 8, Philip McGuire- 7, Andrew Rollo- 8, Scott Martin- 8, Stephen Pearson- 9, Barry Ferguson- 7, Ian Knox- 9, Kenny Miller- 10, Kiegan Parker- 10, Stephen Hughes- 8 (on 54 for Ferguson), Mark Kerr- 7 (on 54 for Pearson), Richard Montgomery- 6 (on 82 for Archibald)

We knew a win or a draw in the match against U.A.E. would potentially give us a favorable opponent, so the boys were ready to play from the opening whistle. It was only 1-0 at halftime thanks to Kenny Miller volley past Borje Granue for his 20th International goal, but U.A.E. hadn't seen our end in the entire half. We limited them to one weak, wide shot for the entire match and then took advantage of our superior conditioning as we exploited them in the second half. Miller then made a looping pass that Kiegan Parker deflected past Granue for his 20th International goal- it was fitting that he and Miller accomplished their milestones in the same match. Ian Knox then showed why he is the future of Scottish football, when he picked up a loose ball and drilled it home for his 1st International goal- helping quiet all the critics who couldn't believe I had selected him for our WC starting lineup over the experience of Mark Kerr or Ross O'Donoghue. Stephen Hughes finished off the scoring in our 4-0 win as he took a pass from Miller and flicked it in off the post for his 10th International goal. It certainly was a match of milestones- including our reaching the 2nd round with the win. Brazil easily defeated Sierra Leone 6-0 to finish as the other qualifier from our Group. We drew a plucky USA side that had finished 2nd to Holland in their Group.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">********************************************* ************************************************** * FIFA World Cup - Tuesday 1st July 2014********************************************** ************************************************** ================================================== ============================================== 2014 Tables============================================ ================================================== ==Group APos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st Q Poland 3 1 0 1 2 3 1 0 0 2 0 6 2nd Q Argentina 3 1 0 1 3 2 0 1 0 1 1 4 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3rd Ukraine 3 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 2 1 4 4th Costa Rica 3 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 1 5 3 Group BPos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st Q Chile 3 1 0 1 2 4 1 0 0 3 1 6 2nd Q South Africa 3 1 1 0 6 3 0 0 1 1 2 4 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3rd Ireland 3 0 0 1 1 2 1 1 0 4 1 4 4th Spain 3 0 0 1 1 3 1 0 1 4 6 3 Group CPos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st Q Colombia 3 1 0 0 5 4 1 1 0 6 2 7 2nd Q Nigeria 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 3 2 5 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3rd Belgium 3 0 0 2 3 8 1 0 0 2 0 3 4th Switzerland 3 0 1 1 1 3 0 0 1 4 5 1 Group DPos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st Q England 3 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 4 0 5 2nd Q Sweden 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 3 2 5 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3rd Algeria 3 0 0 2 0 5 1 0 0 2 1 3 4th Peru 3 0 1 1 3 4 0 1 0 1 1 2 Group EPos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st Q Austria 3 2 0 0 4 2 1 0 0 2 1 9 2nd Q Italy 3 0 1 1 4 5 1 0 0 3 1 4 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3rd Mexico 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 4 5 2 4th Japan 3 0 0 1 1 3 0 1 1 1 2 1 Group FPos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st Q Bulgaria 3 0 1 0 2 2 2 0 0 4 0 7 2nd Q China 3 1 0 1 1 2 1 0 0 1 0 6 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3rd Germany 3 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 4 2 4 4th Tunisia 3 0 0 2 0 4 0 0 1 0 1 0 Group GPos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st Q Holland 3 1 1 0 4 1 1 0 0 3 0 7 2nd Q U.S.A. 3 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 2 4 4 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3rd Portugal 3 1 0 1 4 2 0 1 0 1 1 4 4th South Korea 3 0 0 1 0 3 0 1 1 1 4 1 Group HPos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st Q Scotland 3 1 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 8 0 9 2nd Q Brazil 3 1 0 0 3 1 1 0 1 6 1 6 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3rd U.A.E. 3 0 1 1 0 4 0 0 1 1 3 1 4th Sierra Leone 3 0 0 2 0 10 0 1 0 0 0 1 </pre>

retired_destiny1124

29.6.14
Wankdorf, Bern
Scotland (5) USA (1)
Scotland- K.Parker 6,24 G.Anderson 66 P.McGuire 71 I.Knox 76
USA- S.Quaranta
MOM- Kiegan Parker, Scotland

Scotland- Jamie Langfield- 8, Stephen Crainey- 8, Alan Archibald- 8, Philip McGuire- 9, Andrew Rollo- 8, Michael Stewart- 8, Stephen Pearson- 8, Barry Ferguson- 7, Ian Knox- 9, Kenny Miller- 6, Kiegan Parker- 9, Ross O'Donoghue- 7 (on 72 for Pearson), Mark Kerr- 7 (on 57 for Ferguson), Graham Anderson- 8 (on 22 for Miller)

We had the jump against the Americans and Kiegan Parker gave us a quick lead when he deflected a cross from Stephen Crainey past Tim Howard in the early moments of the match. We suffered a bad loss though when Kenny Miller went out at 22 minutes with a twisted knee that would force him to miss the remainder of the Cup competition. Parker's 2nd goal was of the accidental variety and took a lot of the wind out of the American sails. Kiegan was trying to cross for Graham Anderson, but a gust of wind caught the ball and bent it past Howard into the upper corner of the net, tucked just inside the post. They fought back gamely though, pressing us hard, and were rewarded when their skipper Santino Quaranta picked off a loose ball and caught Jamie Langfield in no-man's land to bring them back to 2-1 at halftime. I didn't realize it til after the match, but that was also the 1st goal we had allowed in the Cup tourney to that point- a testament to the defensive effort we had been putting forth. We came out and gave the Americans no chances in the second half as we bottled them up in their end and pressured them into coverage mistakes. Mark Kerr beat Howard with a blast at 66 minutes- only to see it carom back off the cross bar. Their defense was caught standing around though as Graham Anderson whisked the ball past Howard to make our lead 3-1 and left Howard visibly upset with his defenders' nonchalance. Ian Knox's corner was an excellent outswinging ball and Philip McGuire outleaped Quaranta to knock it past Howard to make it 4-1. We finished off their spirit and the scoring in the match when Knox himself scored on a loose ball to make it 3 goals in a ten-minute span. The 5-1 win represented a fine effort on both sides of the ball for us and both the fans and the FA were pleased to be heading for the Quarter-finals.

Other 2nd round results:
Poland- 0 South Africa- 2
England- 1 Nigeria- 0
Austria- 2 China- 4
Chile- 0 Argentina- 1
Colombia- 0 Sweden- 1
Bulgaria- 0 Italy- 2
Holland- 0 Brazil- 2

Our win brought us a match-up against surprising China, which had dumped Austria- the other club besides us to win all their Group matches (in a difficult Group no less). It was obvious we couldn't take them lightly given their convincing win over Austria. We also suffered a loss when Alan Archibald was forced to return to Scotland to be with his wife, who had been hospitalized suddenly.

One of the games frustrations- a Retiring player leaving in the middle of a World Cup????? I seriously doubt that would happen. It ruined Archibald's swan song as a player and left us short of defenders heading into the Quarter-final.

retired_embartl

I know it's so daft, had that happen before and he was my number one goalkeeper )

Still, the mighty Chinese next :o, here's hoping to an eventual final with England

retired_destiny1124

4.7.14
La Maladiere, Neuchatel- Quarter-finals
China (0) Scotland (4)
China- None
Scotland- I.Knox 7,49 G.Anderson 33,66
MOM- Ian Knox, Scotland

Scotland- Jamie Langfield- 8, Stephen Crainey- 9, Richard Montgomery- 6, Philip McGuire- 8, Andrew Rollo- 8, Michael Stewart- 8, Stephen Pearson- 7, Barry Ferguson- 9, Ian Knox- 9, Graham Anderson- 10, Kiegan Parker- 8, Mark Kerr- 7 (on 60 for Pearson), Ross O'Donoghue- 7 (on 60 for Ferguson)

After looking at the replay of the Austria match, it appeared they may have tried to finesse China too much- and paid dearly for that with incessant Chinese counter-attacks. We resolved not to take that same approach and attacked directly from the opening whistle. Barry Ferguson's brilliant pass allowed Ian Knox to deflect past keeper Liu Yunfei for another early lead for us. I don't know if they expected us to back off- it seemed like it- but instead we continually pressured them. We were able to go up 2-0 at halftime when Andrew Rollo put the ball down the right side for Kiegan Parker and Parker crossed to Graham Anderson. Anderson had a simple finish past Yunfei as they had left him unmarked. We gave them no chance to gain momentum in the second half as Anderson set up Knox nicely on a laid off ball and Ian wrong-footed it past the surprised Yunfei to make it 3-0. Anderson then capped his superb match by picking up a loose ball and moving past two defenders before slipping it under the diving Yunfei for his 2nd goal of the match. With the score 4-0, both sides were content to play out the remainder of the match and the final whistle sent us into the Semi-finals.

Other Quarter-final Action:
South Africa- 1 England- 2
Italy- 0 Brazil- 1
Argentina- 0 Sweden- 3

The draw handed the World Cup a tasty Semi-final as we would be matched up against England.

Well, almost Brian...

retired_destiny1124

A friend of mine sent me these. He couldn't be there in Switzerland and followed along on the Internet. He saved the summaries for me.

8.7.14
St. Jakob-Park, Basel- Semi-finals

England- James Johnson (GK)- Ashley Cole (DL) Dave Walker (DC- EPL Player of the Year) Titus Bramble (DC) John Welsh (DR) Matt Etherington (ML) Stephen Schumacher (MC) Steven Gerrard (MC) Luke Chadwick (MR) Alan Smith (FL) Jermaine Dafoe (FR)

Scotland- Jamie Langfield (GK) Stephen Crainey (DL) Richard Montgomery (DC) Philip McGuire (DC) Andrew Rollo (DR) Michael Stewart (DMC) Stephen Pearson (MC) Barry Ferguson (MC) Ian Knox (MC) Graham Anderson (FL) Kiegan Parker (FR)

Minute-Play
1- SCO- Stewart low cross to the far post, Anderson there but wrong foots it and misses wide
4- ENG- Gerrard down low for Dafoe, push by Montgomery gives England a free kick
4- ENG- Etherington takes free kick, slightly deflected off the wall- a scramble but Ferguson clears it away and Scotland survives the pressure
5- SCO- Parker turns with the ball, sends it to unmarked Ferguson- Ferguson blast, Johnson pushes it around the post for a good save
7- SCO- Ferguson crosses to the far post, but Johnson leaps and snares it
7- ENG- Smith on the dribble- sends it across for Dafoe- Dafoe chips to Etherington, but Rollo gets above him and heads it away
15- ENG- Smith on the roll, goes past Montgomery- advances on Langfield, fierce shot, but Langfield parries it away
16- ENG- Walker brilliant through ball to Smith, Smith in on Langfield- Langfield pushes him as he tries to go around him- Whistle! Referee reaching for a card for Langfield- only a Yellow! Penalty kick for England
Yellow Card- Jamie Langfield
16- ENG- Ashley Cole to take the Penalty- Easily by Langfield- GOAL!!
Goal- England (1-0) Ashley Cole
18- ENG- Chadwick down the right side- sends it to Schumacher- Schumacher heads to Etherington, quickly back to Schumacher- Schumacher lays it off for lurking Dafoe- Dafoe hopeful shot!- Langfield saves, but ball rolls away- Gerrard first to it and shoots, but Langfield able to smother it
22- SCO- Anderson takes it down, Bramble challenges him- Anderson back for Ferguson- Ferguson rips a shot, but it sails well wide of the post
24- SCO- Crainey passes to Ferguson edge of the area- Ferguson crosses, but Johnson grabs it- Parker whistled for offside
25- SCO- Anderson for Parker on the run- Parker into the area, low shot- Johnson gets a full hand on it and bats it away
26- ENG- Walker passes to moving Bramble- Bramble a pretty 1-2 with Schumacher- Bramble's shot headed away by Crainey
30- SCO- Parker first to loose ball- Parker sets up Pearson in the area- Pearson free, but his low shot is well wide of the post
38- SCO- Crainey sends in from wide- Knox and Schumacher leap, Knox wins challenge to Anderson- Anderson's wrong footed volley wide of the post
44- SCO- Ferguson passes in toward Parker, but Johnson steps up and grabs it

END First Half- England- 1 Scotland- 0

46- SCO- England playing a slower pace now- Crainey lobs ball for Stewart- Schumacher heads it away
48- SCO- Knox first to the loose ball, chips it for Montgomery- Montgomery flicks it on to Stewart- Stewart loops it to the left for a moving Crainey- Crainey spots Anderson and chips it for him- Anderson volleys- past Johnson! Goal! Dazzling sequence by Scotland
Goal- Scotland (1-1) Graham Anderson
52- ENG- Substitutions on for England as they look to be sending more men forward
ENG- Substitution Cherno Samba for Jermaine Dafoe
ENG- Substitution Tony Taggert for Luke Chadwick
54- SCO- Anderson pushed by Welsh- whistle, Free kick coming for Scotland- Ferguson's booms it, but right to Johnson
58- ENG- Johnson plays it to Walker- whistle, the ball hit Walker in the arm for Scotland free kick
58- SCO- Ferguson free kick from the wing- Montgomery heads it down for Anderson, but Welsh block tackles it back to midfield
60- ENG- Schumacher moves past Pearson, past Stewart- Schumacher shoots a screamer, but Langfield gets fingertips on it to parry the ball wide
61- SCO- Ferguson plays a long pass for Parker, but Taggert heads it away- Walker heads the loose ball but it goes to Ferguson- Ferguson rising shot, just beyond Johnson's reach- Goal!
Goal- Scotland (2-1) Barry Ferguson
63- SCO- England looking a bit desperate now as they trail for the first time- Parker passes to Ferguson just inside the edge of the area- Ferguson rising blast, Johnson great save! He got his hand up and pushed it over the crossbar
64- SCO- Ferguson will take the corner- Ferguson inswinging ball- Stewart up with Walker for it- Stewart solid header- but it caroms back off the crossbar! Knox there- Goal! Knox was johnny-on-the-spot to rap in the rebound before anyone could recover- a stunning blow to England
Goal- Scotland (3-1) Ian Knox
72- SCO- England can't seem to get back on track after that last goal- Crainey forward for Pearson- Pearson on for Ferguson- Ferguson shot! Excellent save by Johnson as he snared the hard shot from Ferguson!
75- SCO- Ferguson on the move- Ferguson sends it in to six yard box for Stewart- Stewart heads it down for Knox- Knox blisters one! It goes past Johnson, but off the outside of the post!
78- ENG- Schumacher plays ball across for Taggert- Taggert short cross to near post- Samba heads it well! Langfield save! Langfield did well to turn that one away
79- ENG- Samba picks up loose ball- Samba booming blast! Well over the net as Samba's head is in his hands
81- ENG- England looks to be making their last substitution as they press forward
ENG- Substitution- John Terry for Dave Walker
82- SCO- Stewart, long looping pass into the area- Pearson there and gets a head on it- Great save Johnson! Johnson knocked it wide of the net
83- SCO- Ferguson takes the corner- Ferguson sends outswinging corner- Bramble blocks it away from Parker
89- ENG- Gerrard pushing forward- Montgomery jostles him- whistle! Looks like referee fishing for a card!
Yellow Card- Richard Montgomery
89- ENG- Etherington free kick- deflected away by wall
90- ENG- Etherington across to Taggert- Taggert zips pass to Smith- Smith a neat pass to Samba in the area- Rollo great play! Rollo stepped in front of the pass and knocked it back to midfield
90- SCO- Stewart holding the ball, can only be moments away- Yes! Scotland will play in the Finals!

You know, most of that match was a blur for me. I remember a big sigh of relief when Jamie Langfield only received a yellow card in the first half- I thought for sure it was going to be a red one. The entire first half was frustrating as we had some decent chances- but we looked very jittery shooting the ball, as we weren't even close to the net on most of them. We needed a spark in the second half and got it right away on the passing play that ended with Anderson's volley. Anderson had been really stepping up to fill in for Kenny Miller and his goal was a huge one. Many people don't remember that we altered our defense slightly after Anderson scored. I was certain England would be coming full bore, so we tried to cover their wingers better after equalizing and it worked very well- they didn't factor in the rest of the match. Barry Ferguson gave us the goal we were depending on him to manufacture, when he made that shot past Johnson. The third goal I think was still because England was a bit in shock at being behind and were too eager to press forward. Stewart really deserved the goal, but I am glad Ian knocked it in after it carromed. It was a great win for all of us- and Scotland. I didn't realize it until a reporter asked about it afterwards, but Knox's goal was his 5th and broke the Scotland record for goals.

We settled down the next night and watched Brazil take apart Sweden 3-0 behind a hat-trick by Ronaldinho to bring about a rematch of our first Cup match. The press were quite taken by the fact of the rematch and that two clubs from one Group were the survivors dueling for the World Cup.

retired_destiny1124

England edged Sweden 1-0 on a Cherno Samba goal to finish 3rd in the Cup.

13.7.14
Wankdorf, Bern

Brazil- Fabio (GK) Luisao (DC) Wescley (DC) Fabricio da Silva Rodrigues (DC) Cassio (DML) Mancine (DMR) Saulo dos Santos (MC) Bruno (MC) Ronaldinho (AMC) Flavio Ferreira Lima (FL) Wesley de Souza Soares (FR)

Scotland- Jamie Langfield (GK) Stephen Crainey (DL) Richard Montgomery (DC) Philip McGuire (DC) Andrew Rollo (DR) Michael Stewart (DMC) Stephen Pearson (MC) Barry Ferguson (MC) Ian Knox (MC) Graham Anderson (FL) Kiegan Parker (FR)

Minute-Play
2- BRA- Ronaldinho breaks through the midfield, in clean on Langfield- Ronaldinho hard shot! Dazzling save by Langfield!
4- BRA- dos Santos over for Cassio- Cassio chips it toward Mancine- Mancine outleaps Crainey and heads it to Ronaldinho- Ronaldinho booming shot! Just wide of the post! Brazil has the jump in the early going as Scotland struggle to cope with the pace of play
5- SCO- Knox sends it for Ferguson- whistle as Wescley jostles Ferguson- Crainey the free kick, fires it low but deflected by the wall and Bruno knocks it to midfield
5- BRA- de Souza Soares down the right side- sends it for Ferreira Lima- Ferreira Lima on the dribble, whistle on Crainey for obstructing Ferreira Lima, looks like he's due a card.
Yellow Card- Stephen Crainey
6- BRA- de Souza Soares with the freekick- booming blast, Langfield makes a good save- Wait! Referee ordering a rekick! de Souza Soares again- cannon shot!- Great save Langfield! Langfield got a hand on it and pushed it wide of the post
7- BRA- dos Santos takes the corner- dos Santos inswinging corner, Wescley soars but forces it just over the bar, Crainey and Ferguson pressured him on that one
8- BRA- Intense pressure by Brazil as Scotland tries to weather the fury- Bruno moving past Knox- Bruno still on the ball in the area- Bruno slots the ball for Ronaldinho- Ronaldinho drills it- Goal! It was past Langfield before he could react.
Goal- Brazil (1-0) Ronaldinho
19- BRA- Bruno to Cassio- Cassio quickly moves it on to Ferreira Lima- Ferreira Lima rising shot- Langfield makes the save! Langfield pushed it over the bar
20- SCO- Rollo moving down the right- Rollo slides it across for Crainey- Crainey chips it for Pearson- Pearson finds Anderson with a searching pass- Anderson tries to lay it off for trailing Knox, but Ferreira Lima steps in and intercepts
20- BRA- Ferreira Lima moves it quickly to Ronaldinho- Stewart challenges, whistle and referee reaching for a card
Yellow Card- Michael Stewart
23- BRA- Ronaldinho on the move- takes the ball by Stewart, excellent sliding tackle from Knox
24- BRA- Wescley throws it in- Cassio crosses to the left post- Ferreira Lima there, but his header knicks the bar and goes over
31- BRA- Cassio finds Bruno on the move- Bruno inside the area- Bruno a fierce shot! Langfield parries it and McGuire sweeps it away!
33- SCO- Rollo under Cassio's attentions, but shrugs off his tackle attempt- Rollo floats it in on the right- Knox knocks it across for Anderson- Anderson's header! Good save by Fabio, as he pushed it past the post
34- SCO- Ferguson with the corner- Ferguson hits an inswinging corner- Parker beats Ronaldinho in the air- Parker solid header- Struck the outside of the post and over the line
38- BRA- dos Santos on a nice left side run- dos Santos sends it in for Ferreira Lima- Ferreira Lima wheels with it and his hard shot is in! Goal! Langfield got a piece of the ball, but it trickled in for Ferreira Lima's 10th International goal
Goal- Brazil (2-0) Flavio Ferreira Lima

END First Half Brazil- 2 Scotland- 0

47- SCO- Scotland up against it in the second half after being dominated in the opening stanza, looks like a substitution for the Scots- it appears that Barry Ferguson, clearly laboring, will be replaced- a huge hand from the Scot crowd, who know they might be looking at Ferguson's last appearance as a player
SCO- Substitution Stephen Hughes for Barry Ferguson
55- SCO- Scotland is trying to rise to the attack, but Brazil is clearly content blunting their efforts in the midfield, it appears Scotland will change its formation and push Hughes and Stewart further forward
63- SCO- Rollo advancing down the right with Cassio dogging him closely- Rollo breaks free and makes hard cross to the middle- Stewart first to the ball- it's past Fabio! Goal!
Goal- Scotland (1-2) Michael Stewart
68- SCO- Crainey breaks free down the left side- Crainey crosses smartly- Hughes there first- Hughes header skims the crossbar and over!
69- BRA- It looks like some substitutions coming on for Brazil
BRA- Substitution Gustavo for da Silva Rodrigues
BRA- Substitution Ventura for Ronaldinho
71- SCO- Stewart outleaps dos Santos and heads forward- Hughes up and heads to Parker- Parker dives, but his header well wide of the post
72- BRA- de Souza Soares squares it for Ventura- Ventura takes a pot-shot- Langfield easily gathers it in
74- BRA- Bruno past Montgomery- Bruno past backtracking Crainey- Bruno great run! Shot! Just over the bar!
77- BRA- Wescley hurting, looks like he will have to leave- Brazil will sub
BRA- Substitution Fabiano Magalhaes for Wescley
84- BRA- Cassio for Bruno on the run- Bruno quick pass to de Souza Soares- de Souza Soares banana shot- just wide!
87- BRA- de Souza Soares for Ventura- McGuire makes a two-footed challenge, uh-oh looks like a card from the referee for that one! Yes, it is a redcard for McGuire!
Red Card- Philip McGuire
SCO- Substitution Mark Kerr for Kiegan Parker
90- BRA- Brazil has been playing keep away with their ball movement and Scotland is at a loss with being a man short and lacking Brazil's pace- time must be almost gone now- Yes, Final Whistle and Brazil wins another World Cup!

MOM- Flavio Ferreira Lima, Brazil

Sure, it was disappointing to lose. We gave it our best effort though. I was really sorry for Barry Ferguson- he had been our leader in the Cup competition and just plain ran out of gas against the pace that Brazil showed us. We tried to close them down, but their talent was evident and we couldn't cover them as tightly as when we beat them- they did a much better job of moving the ball quickly and their pace made it tough to deal with them. Still, we had great chances to even the match up and I still thought we might, until McGuire's red card. It was a worthy World Cup Final and I couldn't have been prouder of the boys.

retired_destiny1124

20.3.15
Scotland Under-21 (5) Azerbaijan Under-21 (1)
Scotland- S.Burns 35,51, 63, 74-P D.Paton 57
Azerbaijan- S.Vasilyev 45
MOM- Stephen Burns, Scotland

Scotland- Kevin Ferguson- 7 , Paul Ferguson- 7 , John Gallacher- 6 , Mark McCall- 7, Kevin Henderson- 7 , Darren Paton- 9 , Garry Shearer- 9 , John Whiteford- 9, Steven McDonald- 7 , Stephen Burns- 10 , Ian Gray- 7, Derek Gibson- 8 (on 57 for Gray), James Millar- 7 (on 57 for J.Gallacher- Derby)

After struggling through a listless first half, our Under-21 side exploded against visiting Azerbaijan in the second half. Or rather, Stephen Burns exploded- scoring 4 goals in the match and making his case for a future spot on the Senior side. Burns had our lone goal of the first half when he scored on a diving header from a Garry Shearer cross. Azerbaijan evened things in injury time as Said Vasilyev gathered up a loose ball and rifled it past Kevin Ferguson. Going into the second half, we emphasized using our pace advantage and superior ball movement. It worked well as they had no one who could stay with Stephen Burns (who is also doing well in SPL play). Burns put us back into the lead when he made a short dribble in the area and launched a rocket past Mais Poshehontsev. Darren Paton made it 3-1 when he whisked in a rebound and then Burns finished his hat-trick by taking a through ball from John Whiteford and hammering it home. Burns capped his fine match with his 4th goal as he converted a penalty kick after Nadjafov pushed Derek Gibson in the area on a corner.

***

21.3.15
Scotland (6) Azerbaijan (2)
Scotland- S.Duncan 9 G.Anderson 14,19,33 C.Cargill 54 P.Elliott 80
Azerbaijan- S.Hammad 16 O.Walling 66
MOM- Steve Duncan, Scotland

Scotland- Jamie Langfield- 6, Derek Bruce- 9 (1st Cap), Jim Reid- 6, Steven Brown- 7, Andrew Rollo- 9, Mark McNeil- 7, Ian Knox- 8, Paul Elliott- 9, Craig Cargill- 10 (1st Cap), Steve Duncan- 10, Graham Anderson- 10, Darren Fletcher- 7 (on 63 for Knox), Martin Cameron- 7 (on 63 for Anderson- 1st Cap)

We faced weak-sister Azerbaijan at Hampden Park and it was a good time to bring on a younger lineup (also we suffered a spate of injuries to the elder statesmen on the Senior side). The younger lineup performed pretty well offensively, but our defensive play was lacklustre and it was a good thing they only scored two, as we yielded many more chances than we should have to them. Steve Duncan gave us a quick lead off a nice pass from Paul Elliott and then it was off to the races for Graham Anderson. Anderson was setup nicely by Duncan for his first goal, but Azerbaijan quickly drew one back when Salim Hammad found Jamie Langfield out of position and lobbed it over him. Anderson quickly returned the 2-goal margin when he deflected a Craig Cargill cross past Mubaraz Niftaliev. Anderson then finished a quick hat-trick as he took a cross from Derek Bruce and buried it with a rising shot. Cargill scored in his International debut to start the second half when he headed home a cross from Andrew Rollo. Our defense completely overlooked Oleg Walling and he easily sent the ball past Langfield to make it 5-2. Paul Elliott deservedly capped the scoring when he took a pass from Mark McNeil and wheeled it past Niftaliev to make the final score 6-2. Israel added to Portugal's woes by battling to a 1-1 draw in Tel Aviv.