WORLD CUP DREAM DIES AT HAMPDEN

Scotland 0 Belarus 1 (Kutuzov 5) Attendance 51,105 The loss renders Wednesday’s visit to Slovenia utterly meaningless, unless Norway somehow contrive to lose to Moldova tonight. For Belarus this remarkable victory represents only the young nation’s second away win since gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. It was the visitors who took the game by the scruff of the neck from the opening minutes – and indeed opening the scoring in five minutes when Vitaly Kutozov slipped home a Denis Kovba pass. This was not supposed to be in the script, but Belarus were dictating play with Sampdoria’s Kutuzov an ever-present danger – beating the offside trap eleven minute later from Vitaly Bulyga’s through-ball only to see his chip narrowly clear the crossbar. The Sampdoria forward came even closer on the half-hour when he struck the crossbar following an Aleksandr Hleb corner. The half ended as it had begun with the Byelorussians on top – Bulyga’s 25-yard shot being held by Craig Gordon, but the Scots could consider themselves fortunate to be only one goal behind at the interval. Manager Walter Smith made one substitution at the break, replacing Ian Murray with Shaun Maloney. Belarus however continued to dictate play – Timofei Kalachev skimming the crossbar with a twenty-yard shot in 52 minutes. Scotland finally created an opening on the hour – and former Ranger Kenny Miller really should have done better than fire over from a Lee McCulloch flick. Three minutes later Maloney’s 25-yard free-kick was parried by goalkeeper Vasily Khomutovsky as the Scots attempted to exert a modicum of pressure. The revival was misleading however – Gordon had to be alert to deny Bulyga in 68 minutes when he held an eighteen-yard shot from Kutuzov’s pass, then four minutes later Vladimir Korytko’s thirty-yard drive was fisted out by the Hearts goalkeeper. The Eastern Europeans were well on top now – Kutuzov, by a mile the most impressive player afield, played a one-two with Kovba only to see his shot swerve wide in 74 minutes, and then immediately thereafter Bulyga struck the post following a one-two with Arsenal’s Hleb, another immense performer. Scotland tried manfully to get back into the game – Darren Fletcher heading wide when Maloney’s corner was headed on by David Weir in 76 minutes. Sixty seconds later Barry Ferguson was yellow-carded for a foul on Kovba – a booking that will keep the Rangers’ Captain out of the trip to Slovenia. The home side continued to press for the equaliser – Paul Hartley’s twenty-yard shot from a Fletcher lay-off flying wide of the target in 80 minutes, then four minutes later Miller’s volley from a Steven Pressley header was spilled by Khomutovsky only for the danger to be cleared. In the dying seconds Miller again was through from a Ferguson chip only to see his effort blocked by Khomutovsky. Afterwards, amidst general gloom, Walter Smith reflected: “It was a disappointing result. We were never involved in the first-half, and were not as sharp as we have been. We did create chances in the second-half. We didn’t underestimate Belarus. Now it’s all about finishing on a high in Slovenia.” SCOTLAND Gordon (Hearts); Alexander (Preston North End), Murray (Rangers) [Maloney (Celtic) 45]; Pressley (Hearts), Weir (Hearts), Ferguson (Rangers); Fletcher (Manchester United), Dailly (West Ham United), Miller (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Hartley (Hearts), McCulloch (Wigan Athletic) UNUSED SUBS Esson (Aberdeen), Caldwell (Hibernian), Webster (Hearts), McCann (Southampton) Quashie (Southampton), O’Connor (Hibernian) BELARUS Khomutovsky (Steaua Bucharest); Kulchy (Tom Tomsk), Tarlovsky (Fakel Voronezh); Ostrovsky (Arsenal Kiev), Korytko (Terek Chechenskaya Respublika), Lavrik (Amkar Perm); Kovba (Krylya Sovetov Samara), Bulyga (Krylya Sovetov Samara) [Sashcheka (Halmstads)], Kalachev (Khimki), Hleb (Arsenal), Kutuzov (Sampdoria) UNUSED SUBS Zhevnov (FC Moscow), Shkabara (Dinamo Moscow), Chelyadinsky (Metalurg Zaporizhya), Kirilchik (Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih), Lashankov (Chernomorets Odessa), Kovel (Dinamo Minsk) REFEREE Zsolt Szabo (Hungary)