Scotland 0 Argentina 1:IT IS debatable whether this was money well spent by the Scottish FA. A reported €1 million brought Argentina and Diego Maradona; the visitors had rendered what can be a raucous venue at times about as noisy as a library before many fans had even taken their seats.
This was worryingly straightforward for the South Americans. Carlos Tevez tormented and teased the Scots; Alex Ferguson would have been concerned by a first-half lunge by Gary Caldwell on his forward's left ankle but Tevez appeared to bear no lasting effects. Maradona refused to use Tevez sparingly, therefore avoiding a humanitarian gesture towards the nation who still celebrate his Hand of God.
Scotland, albeit depleted, remain a footballing world away from the likes of Argentina. There will be far tougher tests to come for Maradona. In blunt terms, this was a competitive non-event with little for the Scotland management team to glean in a positive sense.
Argentina captain Javier Mascherano had already watched a 20-yard volley clawed away by goalkeeper Allan McGregor by the time Maxi Rodriguez sauntered through the home rearguard and finished from close range. The build-up passing from Tevez and Jonas Gutierrez was typically exquisite, sufficiently so to pull Kirk Broadfoot fatally out of position and expose the central defence.
Within 12 minutes the Tartan Army were ironically hailing even a brief sequence of passes between George Burley's players. Scotland's best hope, it seemed, was either floodlight failure and match abandonment or an unlikely loss of interest from the South Americans.
Such troubles should not detract from Argentina's dominance. Ezequiel Lavezzi was next to try his luck following a superb Tevez through-ball, but McGregor was up to the task. The visitors were similarly impressive at the back, Martin Demichelis brilliantly flicking a net-bound James McFadden attempt over the crossbar. The Bayern Munich centre-half proved not too adept four minutes before the break, his slip allowing McFadden another rare sight at goal. Goalkeeper Juan Pablo Carrizo was required to, and duly did, spare Demichelis's blushes.
Burley had called on the services of his captain, Barry Ferguson, for the first time after a succession of injuries stalled the midfielder's international career. Like his team-mates, it took Ferguson half an hour to catch his breath; this was hardly a welcoming environment for a player who has had only two full games this season.
Scotland enjoyed their most effective spell of the match as the second period opened, but without forcing Carrizo into anything resembling meaningful action. Niggling fouls, diving and needle had also become the order of the day.
SCOTLAND: McGregor; Hutton, Caldwell, McManus (Berra, 75), Broadfoot; Brown, Hartley (Maloney, 59), Ferguson (Robertson, 69), Commons; McFadden (Clarkson, 67); Iwelumo (Miller, 46). Subs not used: Marshall, Barr, Alexander, Naysmith, McAllister.
ARGENTINA: Carrizo; Zanetti, Heinze, Demichelis, Papa (Dias, 86); Rodriguez (Sosa, 90), Mascherano, Gago, Gutierrez (Gonzalez, 71); Tevez, Lavezzi (Denis, 75). Subs not used: Romero, Coloccini,Vilagra, Burdisso, Lopez, Montenegro.
Referee: F Brych
