Mak double helps Slovakia thrash Scotland 3-0

If we can get that at Wembley, the tide will turn.

Lithuania struggled to craft opportunities when in the ascendancy, while Scotland missed another chance 26 minutes in, Martin directing Snodgrass’ cross agonisingly past the post as he was being manhandled by Georgas Freidgeimas.

The visitors had carved out the first opening after 11 minutes, and probably should have taken the lead when Robert Snodgrass found Fletcher in the area with a delightful chipped pass, but the striker miscued his header wide.

“It is a odd, unusual group and, the stranger it gets, the better for us”, he said, pointing out that the Scots are third seeds in the section.

The value in the goalscorer markets comes from the fact that each side’s most likely scorer is a midfielder. “We will just have to look at it again”. Such form leaves this week’s hosts sitting joint-bottom of Group F with no points on the board and a huge task ahead of them to turn things around and get back into contention for qualification. I congratulate the lads on that and for going for it.

Gordon Strachan’s tenure as manager became well-nigh impossible to defend during this complete capitulation in Slovakia.

“We have experience from that at club level, from the Championship and Premier League and the SPFL, playing Saturday-Tuesday, Saturday-Tuesday so I am sure the boys will get their head round what has happened and move on to Tuesday”.

“We would like to create the shots, crosses and chances we had in the second half against Lithuania, away from home, that would be good”.

“It’s not me, they are the most important people”.

Scotland were comfortably beaten 3-0 by Slovakia on Tuesday evening as their bid to qualify for the World Cup suffered a massive blow.

Just to add to Mak’s great day, he added an assist to his two goals in the 68th minute.

Strachan’s hailing of the “outstanding” Chris Martin after that Lithuania game always carried a public relations danger.

Lithuania manager Edgaras Jankauskas hailed his team’s effort and claimed it would be a “miracle” if they finished above Scotland.

Oliver Burke, a £13m player heralded as equivalent to Kenny Dalglish in global importance by Scotland’s assistant manager Mark McGhee, could not even command a place among the substitutes here despite starting against Lithuania.

“But there is no reason why we can’t get a result in Slovakia if we play well”.

“Second, yes. We will definitely go and try and get second at least and if we end up getting first then great”.