Steven Fletcher and Ross McCormack scored their first Scotland goals to secure a vital victory over Iceland.
Duo open accounts in victory over Iceland
Steven Fletcher and Ross McCormack scored their first Scotland goals to secure a vital victory over Iceland in World Cup qualifying.
With Rangers duo Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor frozen out and only on the bench after a breach of George Burley's discipline, Scotland's preparations for the key Hampden Park clash were far from ideal.
But with McCormack breaking the deadlock just before the interval and Fletcher on target after Indridi Sigurdsson's 54th minute leveller, the Tartan Army's hopes of reaching South Africa 2010 have a fresh impetus.
McGregor's replacement Craig Gordon, who was initially dropped because of a lack of club action with Sunderland, produced a crucial late block to preserve Scotland's advantage and showed no signs of rust despite his inactivity.
Group Nine leaders Holland are unlikely to be caught as they boast an eight-point cushion following their convincing weekend win over the Scots, but Burley's men are now in pole position to secure second and a hoped-for play-off place.
There may have been an element of fortune about Scotland's winner, with James Morrison appearing to get the final touch before a corner was awarded, but few inside Hampden offered any complaints.
Ferguson and McGregor were loudly booed by the Hampden crowd as the team was read out before the game, while the skipper's armband went to Celtic captain Stephen McManus, who had missed the last game through injury.
There were also starting roles for Alan Hutton, Morrison and Steven Fletcher as Burley opted for a positive approach against a team who had lost to the Scots in all five of their previous meetings.
Pressure
Scotland started well and attempted to pile on the pressure in the opening spell, with Steven Fletcher seeing a shot deflected just wide of target.
At the other end, Gordon comfortably dealt with Iceland's first corner, sparking cheers of encouragement and a chorus of 'There's only one Craig Gordon' from the crowd - the message to McGregor loud and clear.
Kenny Miller - who squandered a great opportunity to give the Scots an early lead in Amsterdam - tried his luck with a low, swerving drive but the effort was easily smothered by goalkeeper Gunnleifur Gunnleifsson.
Steven Fletcher - earning his fourth cap - was keen to make the most of his opportunity and was threatening again when he threw himself in front of a McCormack corner only to nod over.
Morrison then played through Miller in front of goal but he hesitated and teed up the shot for Darren Fletcher instead but the goalkeeper was able to gather comfortably.
The breakthrough eventually came six minutes before the break when excellent play saw Hutton race down the right flank and skip past Bjarni Eiriksson before finding McCormack to rifle high into the net.
McManus could have doubled the advantage on the stroke of half-time but sent a header glancing over from McCormack's free-kick.
Architect
Hutton had been the architect of the opening goal and had a couple of decent chances to add his own name to the scoresheet after the restart.
He lashed wide of the upright after Iceland's attempts to clear a Morrison cut-back landed at his feet. The Tottenham full-back then drew a decent save from Gunnleifsson with a well-struck shot.
But it was Iceland who had the net bulging with 54 minutes on the clock. Palmi Palmason raced past McManus before smacking the post with a long-distance shot and the rebound fell kindly for Sigurdsson to drive home.
Scotland recovered from the setback and were back in front with 65 minutes on the clock. McCormack's corner found McManus who delivered a header into the six-yard box where Steven Fletcher was waiting to nod into the back of the net.
Scotland were forced to deal with a period of pressure from Iceland as they searched for the goal that would keep their own qualification hopes alive.
Darren Fletcher could then all but have killed off any hope of another comeback when he chased a Morrison pass but Gunnleifsson was first to the ball.
The Iceland goalkeeper then did well to block a thunderous free-kick from Morrison before the West Brom midfielder slotted agonisingly wide from a tight angle.
Gordon prevented a late leveller when he blocked from both Eggert Jonsson and Hermann Hreidarsson as Scotland managed to hold on for the win which means South Africa in 2010 remains a possibility for now.
| Scotland |
Team Statistics |
Iceland |
| 2 |
Goals |
1 |
| 1 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 7 |
Shots on Target |
3 |
| 9 |
Shots off Target |
6 |
| 1 |
Blocked Shots |
2 |
| 6 |
Corners |
8 |
| 9 |
Fouls |
16 |
| 5 |
Offsides |
2 |
| 0 |
Yellow Cards |
1 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 74.7 |
Passing Success |
64.8 |
| 11 |
Tackles |
18 |
| 81.8 |
Tackles Success |
83.3 |
| 55.2 |
Possession |
44.8 |
| 50.3 |
Territorial Advantage |
49.7 |
|
