News Focus
- Scotland defeat Curacao 4-1 at Hampden Park in final home match before 2026 World Cup
- New Rangers striker Lawrence Shankland scores twice in second-half substitute appearance
- Billy Gilmour forced off with knee injury causing concern ahead of tournament
- Curacao reduced to 10 men before half-time after Jurgen Locadia’s red card
- Teenager Findlay Curtis scores first international goal on his debut
Steve Clarke’s side completed their preparations on home soil with a comfortable win at Hampden Park. The hosts fielded a much-changed line-up in front of 44,433 supporters for their last appearance on British turf prior to travelling to the United States.
The Caribbean visitors stunned the Glasgow crowd by taking an early advantage. Tahith Chong ran from the halfway line, cut inside the defence, and finished cleanly off the post after 21 minutes. However, their hopes suffered a major setback when striker Jurgen Locadia received a red card for a late elbow on Aaron Hickey.
Scotland drew level moments before the interval. Nineteen-year-old Findlay Curtis, who had replaced the injured Billy Gilmour, struck a low left-footed shot into the far corner for his first goal for his country. The Napoli midfielder had gone down clutching his knee after a simple pass and could not continue.
The second period saw Lawrence Shankland take centre stage. The recent Rangers recruit netted twice in four minutes just before the hour mark. He first converted from a well-worked set-piece, then combined effectively with Lyndon Dykes to fire home his sixth international goal.
Ryan Christie added the fourth from the penalty spot late in the match. The Bournemouth midfielder converted the kick after Curtis was brought down in the box by Sherel Floranus.
Several key players including John McGinn, Scott McTominay, Lewis Ferguson, Kieran Tierney and Che Adams did not feature after playing for their clubs last weekend. Southampton striker Ross Stewart was also absent managing a knee problem.
The visitors are managed by 78-year-old former Rangers boss Dick Advocaat. Curacao are ranked 82nd in the world and will become the smallest nation in history to compete at a World Cup with a population of approximately 150,000.
Scotland now fly out to the United States on Sunday. They have not appeared at the tournament since 1998. Their opening group match takes place against Haiti in Boston on June 14, followed by fixtures against Morocco and Brazil.
Clarke admitted the numerical advantage changed the dynamic of the contest. He felt his team huffed and puffed when both sides had eleven players, and noted that the red card allowed his players to find space more easily. The manager also expressed concern about Gilmour’s knee injury ahead of the tournament opener.
Advocaat agreed the sending-off proved the turning point. He praised his team’s first-half performance but admitted that defending with ten men for so long proved impossible against quality opposition.