The abiding agony of the miss that silenced Hampden
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Time froze. Hampden held its breath. It should have been the goal which gave Scotland a victory that would have been fortuitous, but equally crucial.
Instead, Chris Iwelumo’s unbelievable second-half miss against Norway will go down in infamy and is now likely to become the abiding image of another failed World Cup qualifying campaign.
This 0-0 draw has not completely killed off Scotland’s hopes of reaching South Africa in two years, but George Burley’s team is now on life support.
Scotland have gathered just four points from their opening three matches, scoring only two goals in the process, and next up they have the daunting task of a trip to Holland in March.
Burley is almost ridiculously positive at times, but even he must admit in his private moments that Scotland’s chances of competing among the elite have all but been extinguished.
Iwelumo’s dreadful gaffe will be a talking point for years to come, but that shocking miss from three yards was merely the tip of an iceberg of glaring inadequacies which led to this stalemate.
Scotland got exactly what they deserved and Norway fully merited their point. A home win would have been daylight robbery.
Burley promised Scotland the brave – a new era of attacking and skilful football. Instead we witnessed a display as negative and as reactionary as anything seen under the rebuilding years under Walter Smith and Alex McLeish.
All the talk about 4-3-3 proved to be just smoke and mirrors. Burley sent his side out with just one man up front – at home and in a match he himself admitted had to be won.
It beggared belief. James McFadden was an isolated figure up front , with few dark blue jerseys for company during a stagnant first hour. Burley’s selections and formation were a mystery.
McFadden is best running at defenders, not at being a back-to-goal striker.
Then there was Barry Robson, a rampaging left-sided attacking midfielder who was placed on the right of midfield to mark Norway full back John Arne Riise.
Scott Brown, a midfielder full of drive and energy, was deployed in a holding midfield role against a team who had no attacking players bursting through the middle.
So much for optimism. This Scotland formation was riddled with fear and sent out the wrong message to the visitors, who are by no means among Europe’s finest.
Apart from the marauding beast that is John Carew, Norway were fairly modest – although Scotland made them look world-beaters in a painful opening 45 minutes.
Carew could have plundered a hat-trick in that time, denied only by a last-gasp tackle from Gary Naysmith, a save from goalkeeper Craig Gordon and a misplaced drive from a tight angle.
A back-post header from James Morrison was the Scots’ only serious effort on goal.
Things did not improve for Scotland after the break and, inevitably, changes were made 10 minutes into the second half.
Burley threw on international rookies Iwelumo and Steven Fletcher in place of McFadden and Morrison, with McFadden’s withdrawal prompting boos from a restless Tartan Army.
Left on the bench was one Kris Boyd. The Rangers striker has scored seven goals in 15 internationals and 142 goals in 199 club matches. Yet it seems he is bizarrely unwanted by the men who need him most.
Would Boyd have scored Iwelumo’s chance? Without a doubt. A Sunday morning pub team player with a raging hangover could have dispatched that one.
The big chance came just nine minutes after Iwelumo’s introduction. The slick move was started by Brown, Scotland’s best player who was finally released from his ridiculous defensive brief. Brown played in Gary Naysmith who laid the ball on a plate for Iwelumo. Somehow, the forward managed to contort his 6ft 4in frame and screw the ball wide, with the goal gaping.
Hampden had never before gone so quiet.
Norway began to threaten and Gordon had to brilliantly block a Steffen Iversen effort. A Carew effort then spun over the bar.
Right at the death Scotland almost snatched an unlikely winner when Kirk Broadfoot sent over a wicked low cross with which both Fletcher and Iwelumo almost connected.
But it was just out of reach – just as the World Cup finals now look for Scotland.
SCOTLAND – Gordon, Broadfoot, Weir, Caldwell, Naysmith, Brown, Darren Fletcher, Robson, Morrison (Steven Fletcher 56), McFadden (Iwelumo 57), Maloney.
NORWAY – Knudsen, Hoiland, Waehler, Hangeland, John Arne Riise, Bjorn Helge Riise (Braaten 56), Stromstad (Pedersen 76), Grindheim, Winsnes, Iversen, Carew.
