Scotland v Belarus 2026 FIFA World Cup, WM, Weltmeisterschaft, Fussball Qualifier 12/10/2025. Group C Andy Robertson of Scotland during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifier, Scotland vs Belarus, The National Stadium, Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland, 12/10/2025. Hampden Park The National Stadium Glasgow Scotland Editorial use only , Copyright: xColinxPoultneyx PSI-23023-0087
Scotland delivered one of their most polished performances in years, routing Bolivia 4-0 in a sun-drenched New Jersey to set pulses racing ahead of the World Cup.
The result was as emphatic as it was unexpected, with Steve Clarke’s side rolling out something close to their very best football on one of the sport’s biggest stages.
The only trouble now, as Keith Jackson noted from New Jersey, is that Scotland are going to need a bigger crash mat to handle the fall if reality bites.
All too often, Scottish hopes burn up on re-entry when expectations rocket into orbit, and this performance sent those expectations soaring into a genuinely dangerous place.
Clarke had serious decisions to make before kick-off, balancing the need for game time against the benefit of fielding something close to his planned starting XI for next Saturday’s opener against Haiti.
The team he settled on was, as Jackson described it, a strong blend of dependable stalwarts smattered with a sprinkling of auditionists with next week’s big kick-off very much in mind.
John McGinn sat out on the bench, while Angus Gunn was handed the opportunity to stake a claim on the number one shirt in the sweltering late afternoon heat.
All eyes were on Bournemouth winger Gannon-Doak, a maverick Clarke desperately needs ready to perform when the ball starts rolling for real next weekend in Boston.
With the mercury tickling 90 degrees at kick-off, Scotland wasted no time, settling quickly into their stride and pushing Bolivia back down both flanks with pace and purpose.
Scott McTominay was imperious in the centre of the pitch, and it was the Napoli man who set Lawrence Shankland free for the opening goal just four minutes in.
McTominay fizzed a stunning pass out to the left for Andy Robertson, who killed it stone dead, fed it to Christie, and then galloped to the byline to collect the return before hanging up a looping cross.
Shankland met it with a perfectly measured header into the roof of the Bolivian net, and suddenly the prospect of what was to come felt a great deal more appealing.
A second goal arrived when McTominay’s 20-yard strike slipped through the fingers of Bolivia keeper Guillermo Viscarra and crept into the bottom corner of his net.
Scotland’s third was equally stunning, with Aaron Hickey unlocking the defence with a wonderfully weighted pass before Gannon-Doak’s pinpoint cross found Che Adams, who could not miss from four yards.
The fourth came in stoppage time of the first half, with Gannon-Doak scorching 80 or 90 yards up the pitch before setting up Adams to dispatch the ball with considerable venom.
McGinn and Kieran Tierney replaced Christie and Robertson at the break, with a host of further substitutions following as the contest had long since ceased to be a meaningful one.
Clarke’s side emerge from this rehearsal with their World Cup preparations in excellent shape and Haiti on notice that something genuinely dangerous may be coming their way.
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