They huffed and puffed for a while but Scotland got the win they craved as they got their 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign off to a winning start in Malta.
Hull City midfielder Robert Snodgrass scored a hat-trick on his return to international football following a horrendous dislocated kneecap which kept him out for 16 months as the Scots began the road to Russia with a second half deluge against a Malta team who finished the game with nine men.
A new campaign brings fresh optimism for the Tartan Army with more than 4,000 supporters making the trip to see their side in the opening game of Group F.
They did so with a new favourite to support with the previously unheralded Oliver Burke thrust into the limelight as Scotland’s bright new hope following his £13million move to the Bundesliga from Nottingham Forest.
He has already been named the tartan Gareth Bale – no pressure there then, and his inclusion in the starting 11 for the first time was a huge vote of confidence but also a gamble by Gordon Strachan.
The decision to give Chris Martin just his third international start was another big call from the Scotland manager given the player had failed to score in his eight previous appearances for the national team.
However, the same argument could have been made had Steven Fletcher been given the starting role as his international record is equally sporadic. He has scored just eight goals for his country and six of them came in two games against Gibraltar in the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign.
The Scots went into this game having failed to win any of their opening games in the last four qualifying campaigns and the trip to the group minnows represented an ideal chance to end that miserable run.
An early goal would have been ideal and Scotland’s early pressure paid off.
Matt Ritchie’s excellent pass released Andy Robertson in the box but his shot was blocked by Maltese goalkeeper Andrew Hogg.
It was a warning for the home side which they did not heed as Scotland made the breakthrough in the 10th minute in fortuitous circumstances as Robert Snodgrass cut inside from the right touchline and curled the ball high past Hogg to put the Scots ahead.
It looked like a cross and if it wasn’t, it was a moment of brilliance. Either way, it was a just reward for Scotland’s enterprising start.
However, Scotland do not do serene and comfortable, and poor defending quickly undid all the early hard work in just four minutes as Callum Paterson was caught flat-footed by the run of Alfred Effiong from a Gareth Sciberras cross and he beat David Marshall with a fine header for the equaliser.
The visitors responded with a Snodgrass header which was saved on the line by Hogg but Malta were in no mood to concede again and they soon retreated, restricting the space for the Scots.
Chances were at a premium and Scotland had to do better with the fleeting ones which came their way such as a Grant Hanley header from a free kick which went just wide.
It was all too pedestrian for the Scots, whose early play seemed like a distant memory by the time the second half started.
The width and pace which had carried so much promise in the opening quarter of an hour had all but disappeared with the resolute Maltese defence seemingly grinding the visitors into submission.
Quality was in short supply and another difficult evening looked in store for Strachan’s side until a sublime ball from Ritchie released Martin in the box and he slid in to guide the ball past Hogg to restore Scotland’s lead.
There would be no comeback for the home side this time as they soon found themselves a man down and two goals down to the visitors.
Jonathan Caruana was the guilty party, conceding a penalty and earning himslef a red card for a foul on Martin as he was set to convert a Robertson cross from inside the six yard box.
The Malta players were furious with the decision and goalscorer Effiong earned a caution for his protests too before Snodgrass stepped up to send Hogg the wrong way with the resulting spot kick.
Confidence restored, the Scots took full advantage of the space created by Caruana’s departure as substitute Fletcher headed home the fourth.
A fine night got even sweeter for the Scots as they grabbed a fifth with Snodgrass completing his hat-trick after Fletcher’s attempted lob came back off the crossbar and fell perfectly for the Snodgrass to score into the empty net.
Malta’s misery was complete in injury time when midfielder Luke Gambin was dismissed for lashing out at Snodgrass.
