Gibraltar vs Scotland. European Championship Qualifying Group D.
Estadio AlgarveAttendance12,401.
Sunday 11 October 2015 22:28, UK
Scotland ended their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign with their biggest away win in 66 years after a comfortable 6-0 victory over minnows Gibraltar.
Gordon Strachan's side's bid to qualify for next summer's European Championships in France may have ultimately ended in disappointment but Scotland finished things with a flourish and it was Chris Martin and Shaun Maloney who sent them in at the break with a 2-0 lead.
After the break it was the Steven Fletcher show as two goals in four minutes condemned Gibraltar to the record of the most number of goals conceded in a European Championship qualifying campaign, beating the previous record of 53 held by San Marino before Euro 2012.
Fletcher, who scored Scotland's first hat-trick in 46 years in the reverse fixture back in March, completed his treble with just five minutes remaining, firing a shot from the edge of the box into the back of the net off the underside of the crossbar.
Substitute Steven Naismith rounded off the night in injury time as Strachan's side recorded their biggest win since a 6-0 win over the Faroe Islands at Celtic Park back in 2006.
The Scots, who finish in fourth in Group D three points behind Republic of Ireland, now face an 11-month wait for their next competitive match when they will kick-off their World Cup qualifying campaign with a trip to Malta.
Scotland, who made seven changes to the side that drew 2-2 with Poland on Thursday, dominated from the first whistle and should have been ahead in the fourth minute but Maloney failed to convert Fletcher's cross.
Fletcher combined with Maloney again eight minutes later when the Sunderland striker flicked the ball into the path of his team-mate, who could not beat Jamie Robba with his shot.
Scotland finally made the breakthrough in the 25th minute as Martin bundled home Gordon Greer's looping header from close range for his first international strike.
Minutes later it should have been two but Fletcher failed to connect with Andy Robertson's excellent cross with just Robba to beat.
However, the visitors, who saw Matt Ritchie's header cleared off the line by Roy Chipolina, had their second of the night just before the break and it fell to Maloney. The Hull City winger picked the ball up on the left-hand edge of the penalty area and turned inside on his right foot, before bending a superb effort into the far corner.
After the break Aston Villa right-back Alan Hutton, who was instrumental in Scotland's third goal, ended another impressive forward burst by standing up a cross for Fletcher to power in a header past Robba.
The Scottish fans were on their feet four minutes later when the Sunderland striker steered in the second, his guided left-footed shot from 14 yards going in off the far post.
Before Johnny Russell and Darren Fletcher replaced Ritchie and Brown respectively, Gibraltar had a flurry of forays up the park but could not find that final pass.
Russell, making his competitive debut, flashed a shot over the bar and then set up Steven Fletcher with a good ball across the goal, only just evading the stretching striker.
Naismith replaced Martin in the 75th minute and blasted over the bar moments later, but even the Tartan Army had lost some of their enthusiasm by that point.
In the 83rd minute Robba made a save from Russell's curling shot before Fletcher showed how it should be done with a drive from outside the box which beat Robba and crashed in off the bar, before Naismith made it six in injury time with a low drive.
Scotland, who finish just three points behind Republic of Ireland in the play-off spot in Group D, finish on a high not but after another near qualification miss Strachan's position will be reviewed long before the team travels to Malta to start their bid to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
The Scotland manager's contract is now up and he will reveal whether he will stay on in the post in the next week or so, but the Tartan Army inside the stadium certainly gave him their support during and after the game.
