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From Tom English
BBC Scotland in Hampden
Belgium inspired into some savage defeat of hapless Scotland to end hopes of attaining Euro 2020 via their qualification group.
The Manchester City guy setup Romelu Lukaku, Thomas Vermaelen and Toby Alderweireld and netted the fourth.
The side of steve Clarke should look to the next year’s play-offs as their best hope of ending a 22-year wait.
Victory made it six wins from six to Roberto Martinez’s Group I now leaders.
In truth, it could have been much worse for Scotland against the planet’s number one ranked side.
Scotlandin fifth course Russia by Belgium and nine points from 12 with four matches to go.
After the chastening 2-1 loss at home to Russia on Friday arrived this evisceration by Belgium – an Eden Hazard-less Belgium at that. Who needs the Real Madrid man when you currently have the unnatural genius of De Bruyne on top of weakness that is dire from the home group, whose citizenship had been paper-bag slim, with due apologies to paper bags?
Scotland, together with Kenny McLean, Ryan Christie, Robert Snodgrass and Matt Phillips coming in for John McGinn, Ryan Fraser, James Forrest and Oli McBurnie, had a couple early moments of optimism after which a harrowing nighttime afterwards, the horror series starting when they conceded the first goal after just two minutes. The Scots got done on the counter attack. They had been were unbelievably utterly reckless and naive in leaving themselves so open. Incompetence on an global scale.
From the edge of their box, Belgium went after locating De Bruyne who ran free up the left and recovering possession Dries Mertens, out of a Snodgrass free-kick. He had space and time and defence. He looked up, picked Lukaku who’d strolled in on goal out all and the Internazionale striker did the remainder.
The entire matter – from Mertens to the trunk of Dave Marshall’s net into De Bruyne into Lukaku – took 14 minutes. It had been the 49th goal for his country of Lukaku. He could have had his own 50th nine minutes after if De Bruyne – who ? – dinked a stunning ball . Lukaku didn’t clip it.
A Belgium target wasn’t long in forthcoming. Once again it was De Bruyne who created it, now using a cross from the right which was poked home by Vermaelen. A mess in the back scotland, failed to pick him up. What problems Clarke has in attempting to make something resembling a defence worthy of this name.
Thibaut Courtois but a Hampden when Belgium struck after the mark awakened deeper into despair was analyzed by phillips. It had been just another avoidable goal. Alderweireld got from Charlie Mulgrew and thumped his campaign in off the bottom of Marshall’s crossbar.
Three De Bruyne and three goals helps. Belgium had scored 10 goals in games at annually against the Scots. The thing about the hiding was without having to move out of third or second gear, that they pulled it off. They did not need to get anywhere near their best.
Marshall needed to tip a shot by Mertens and De Bruyne missed a chance. Sandwiched in between was a forlorn dive from Stephen O’Donnell which brought the Scotland right-back a yellow card instead of the penalty he looked for. Scott McTominay went into the book and he’ll miss the trip to Russia next month, but not that it matters. The goose of scotland is truly and well cooked.
A fourth has been Lukaku being permitted to flip by a few Scottish defending before locating the unplayable De Bruyne, to get the Belgians, that slotted a curler to heap on the pain to get what was left of their home crowd. Many of them had led for home after that. One has to wonder how many of them will be back.
A masterclass in the playmaker along with his departure, speed, ending ability to find space beguiling rather than awareness and bemusing Scotland in equal measure. A sumptuous end late on supplied the goal his performance deserved.
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