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Scotland national football team
International Friendlies
Mar 29, 2016 at 8pm UK
 
Denmark national football team

1-0

Ritchie (8')
FT(HT: 1-0)

Live Commentary: Scotland 1-0 Denmark - as it happened

Relive Sports Mole's live text commentary of the international friendly between Scotland and Denmark at Hampden Park.
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Scotland secured their second 1-0 win in five days as Matt Ritchie's eighth-minute strike was enough to give Gordon Strachan's side victory over Denmark at Hampden Park on Tuesday night.

The Danes will feel unlucky to have come away with nothing following a dominant second-half display, but Daniel Agger's blunder for the goal proved to be the deciding point.

Discover how the game unfolded in Sports Mole's text commentary below.


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The final whistle blows and Scotland have managed to hold on! They finish their international break with another 1-0 win following their triumph over the Czech Republic. Matt Ritchie's eighth-minute goal was enough to give Gordon Strachan's side victory at Hampden Park, but they were under the cosh at times, particularly in the second half. Denmark were unfortunate not to get something out of the game. Well, that's all from us! Thank you for joining us and until next time, goodbye.

FULL-TIME: SCOTLAND 1-0 DENMARK

It's another free kick for Denmark and as the ball falls into the box, Braithwaite connects with his head, but he cannot get it on target. The visitors earn another corner, but Gordon manages to pick the ball out of the air.

Denmark are still piling on the pressure and there will be four minutes of added time. Can they find an equaliser?

Durmisi takes the free kick and Gordon manages to get across his line, but the shot goes a yard wide.

BOOKING! Greer is shown a yellow card for a poor challenge in the air as Scotland tried to clear their lines.

SCOTLAND SUB: Goalscorer Ritchie makes way for Oliver Burke, who is making his international debut.

BOOKING! Bridcutt is lucky not to be sent off there! The Scotland substitute dives in on Sviatchenko with both feet and the Denmark defender is lucky not to have suffered an injury. Only a yellow though!

CHANCE! This time Dalsgaard finds Jorgensen, who goes it alone, but his shot flies over the bar. Denmark should be level at least considering the opportunities that they've had!

SAVE! What a stop from Gordon! Eriksen fires a low shot towards the near post and the keeper drops down to deny him, but then the rebound ends up in front of Braithwaite, who heads from close range but Gordon pushes the ball clear.

Denmark are continuing to knock on the door and Scotland are struggling to get out of their own half. Durmisi storms down the left flank before crossing the ball into the area. The ball drops to Jorgensen, but he scuffs his shot into the ground.

SCOTLAND SUB: Strachan makes another change as Maloney is hauled off and replaced with Bridcutt.

Denmark get a free kick in a decent area and once again it's Eriksen to deliver. The Spurs man gets the ball in the box and finds Braithwaite at the near post. He tries to guide the ball into the net with a header, but he misses the target and the ball goes wide.

DENMARK SUB: It's another change for the visitors and this time it's the skipper who makes way. Agger is replaced with Erik Sviatchenko.

Durmisi whips the ball into the penalty area, but there's too much pace on it and Braithwaite cannot get the ball down to take a shot. Instead, Hanley manages to clear the danger.

SCOTLAND SUB: That's the end of Griffiths's night. He makes way for striker Chris Martin.

Hojbjerg is involved again and is given plenty of space to get a shot away. He unleashes a strike, but it's not his best effort and the ball falls wide of the post.

CHANCE! A decent opportunity for Denmark to clinch an equaliser. Durmisi starts the attack as he crosses the ball into the penalty area and manages to find Hojbjerg, but the Dane's volley is caught clumsily and the ball goes over the bar.

McGinn has been busy in this game and is making quite an impression on his debut. He gets in a good position before chipping the ball over Denmark's defence with the hope of Maloney latching on, but he fails to get there.

Denmark launch a counter attack and the ball ends up at Jorgensen's feet. He then finds Eriksen in the box and the Spurs star shoots from six yards out, but his effort is blocked.

CHANCE! Maloney tries to extend Scotland's lead in these early stages of the second half with a thumping shot. The midfielder cuts inside before unleashing the effort, which is dipping as it gets closer to the net, but the keeper tips it over the bar.

SCOTLAND, DENMARK SUBS: Both managers have made changes at the break. Mulgrew and Anya come on to replace Tierney and Fletcher, while Schmeichel and Poulsen make way for Lossl and Braithwaite.

RESTART! Denmark get the second half underway! Can they get back into this game or will Scotland maintain their lead? Let's find out!

The half-time whistle blows and Scotland will be heading into the interval as the happier side. They have a 1-0 lead thanks to an eighth-minute goal from Matt Ritchie. A large part of that gratitude should go to Denmark captain Daniel Agger as his hesitation and miscommunication with goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel at the back allowed Ritchie to latch onto the ball and find the back of the net. Denmark showed signs of promise as the half went on, but Scotland reached the interval unscathed.

HALF-TIME: SCOTLAND 1-0 DENMARK

SAVE! Schmeichel prevents Fletcher from doubling Scotland's lead. Whittaker gets down the right flank and crosses towards the near post. Fletcher gets there and heads a low shot towards goal, but Schmeichel drops down to tip the ball out for a corner, which comes to nothing for the Scots.

Hojbjerg charges towards the final third and goes for glory, but his shot flies well high of the target. His teammates will not be best pleased as he had options to his right and left, but opted to go alone.

Whittaker and Ritchie link up down the right side of the field and the cross is played into the box first time, but Denmark manage to cut out the danger.

CHANCE! So close for the Danes! The danger comes from a corner and Scotland fail to clear it comfortably. The ball bobbles around loosely inside the six-yard area and Poulsen tries to get a touch, but it's eventually scrambled clear.

Scotland get a half-chance as Fletcher receives the ball and attempts a volley from a tight angle. It doesn't trouble Schmeichel, though, as the ball drifts wide.

The visitors get a free kick deep inside Scotland's half and it's Eriksen who takes it. The Tottenham man whips the ball into the box, but he fails to find a teammate and Gordon comfortably gets the ball.

Jorgensen storms down the left flank and edges ahead of his marker Greer, but the Scotsman stays with him and receives back-up from Brown, who ends up snatching the ball back.

CHANCE! Scotland are almost through again because of some poor Denmark play! The home side jump on a weak pass in Denmark's half and Maloney plays in Griffiths, who only has the keeper to beat, but Schmeichel times the run off his line well and gathers the ball before a shot can be taken.

Most of the action has been in the middle of the park in this first half. It's gotten a bit scrappy as both sides fight for the ball.

Denmark get a free kick this time as Hanley is penalised for bashing Poulsen while the two challenged for a header in the air. The set piece is taken, but Tierney does well to put Eriksen under pressure and Scotland regain possession.

Denmark put Scotland under pressure for a spell, but the home side get a chance on the ball as Whittaker is fouled by Durmisi in the home side's half.

The resulting corner gets whipped into the box, but Whittaker does well to stop Jorgensen from connecting cleanly with the ball as he attempts a close-range header.

CHANCE! Denmark's first real chance of the game! Eriksen receives the ball in the middle of the field and sends a through ball towards Poulson, who got in behind Scotland's defence and looked through on goal, but Tierney made a great tackle to prevent his opponent from getting a shot away.

That's a blow to Denmark and they try to recover by passing the ball around in the middle of the park. They're being allowed to keep the ball as Scotland have dropped back slightly after taking the lead.

Scotland have been gifted a goal from Denmark captain Daniel Agger! The former Liverpool centre-back is making his 75th appearances for his country, but he'll want to forget this moment. The ball is calmly knocked back to him and as he turns deciding whether or not to pass or wait for his keeper Schmeichel to collect, Ritchie dispossesses him and sends the ball into the back of the net.

GOAL! SCOTLAND 1-0 DENMARK (RITCHIE)

Debutant McGinn manages to win Scotland a corner following a charging run down the left side. Maloney whips the ball in but it hits first man and is cleared. Ritchie manages to pick the ball up and after a decent first touch, crosses it into the area and his teammate gets a header on it, but it bobbles behind for a goal kick.

I mentioned that it's drizzly, but in the last few minutes it's started chucking it down! Both sides are finding their feet in these early stages. Tierney and Maloney link up on the left side and the ball ends up moving back into the middle of the park. The ball then bounces to Fletcher, who tries to play in Whittaker on the edge of the box, but Denmark manage to clear.

KICKOFF! Scotland get us underway on a drizzly night at Hampden Park. The home side are kicking from left to right.

Both sets of teams gather at the centre circle to observe a minute's silence to the late Johan Cruyff and the victims of recent terrorist attacks around the world.

The anthems are next, then it's the obligatory handshakes and then the action begins!

Both sets of players are emerging from the tunnel onto the Hampden Park pitch. Not long now to go until kickoff!

HEAD TO HEAD: Scotland do not have the best statistics against Denmark. They have won just one of their last six games against the nation and have lost five. The Scots have also not kept a clean sheet against the Danes in their last seven fixtures, their last came in September 1975.

Let's not forget, it's a new era for Denmark as they play just their second game under Hareide. The national side were under the management of Morten Olsen for 15 years so it will take some time for the team to go into a new direction.

Ahead of this game, the Denmark coach told BBC Scotland: "I know a lot, but it's mixed up, so you don't have complete control over what we do.

"They always have a heart to play football and that is why we wanted to play against Scotland. We know we will get a fight - even as a friendly. It's a real football country. Gordon Strachan's been around for a while and has great experience."

Malmo's Norwegian head coach Age Hareide attends a press conference at the Swedbank Stadion, on October 20, 2015, on the eve of the UEFA Champions League Group A football match between Malmo FF and FC Shakhtar Donetsk. © Getty Images


There is some good news for Denmark, though, as their manager Hareide, who succeeded Morten Olsen in December, has beaten Scotland in the past and he did so while manager of Norway. He also has knowledge of Scottish football as he overcame Celtic as Malmo boss.

Denmark have not had a good run on the road of late having lost four and drawing one of their last five away internationals. In addition to that, prior to last week's friendly against Iceland, they went six games without a win and their last victory came on June 13, 2015 when they sealed a 2-0 triumph over Serbia in the Euro qualifying campaign.

It was a disappointing campaign for the Danes as they could only win three of their eight qualifiers and they came against Armenia and Serbia, whom they defeated twice home and away. They recorded a 1-1 draw and goalless draw in their fixtures against Albania, and they were beaten twice by Portugal - both 1-0 results.

The first leg of the playoff was staged in Solna and Denmark were undone by goals from Emil Forsberg and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Jorgensen managed to get on the scoresheet in the 80th minute, though, giving Denmark a lifeline for the second leg. The return fixture in Copenhagen was an exciting one. The game looked to be over in the 76th minute when Ibrahimovic scored his second of the night. However, Denmark tried to launch a comeback as Yussuf Poulsen scored in the 80th minute and Jannik Vestergaard added another in stoppage time, but they could not change the outcome as Sweden won 4-3 on aggregate.

So, what about Denmark? Well, like Scotland, they will not be on the plane to France this summer. It was heartbreak for Age Hareide and his team as they were on the losing end of a playoff tie against Sweden. They managed to finish third in Group A behind leaders Portugal and second-placed Albania.

The home game prior to the clash against Poland was also a European qualifier and it was against world champions Germany. It ended up being an exciting clash as an own goal from Mats Hummels cancelled out Thomas Muller's 18th-minute strike. The Bayern Munich star managed to put Germany back ahead in the 34th minute, but James McArthur equalised for Scotland just before half-time. Joachim Low's side were too strong in the end for Scotland as Ilkay Gundogan sealed the winner for Germany.

The Bayern Munich forward gave his nation the lead inside the first three minutes of the game, but Matt Ritchie drew the game level at 1-1 in the 45th minute. Scotland took the lead 17 minutes into the second half thanks to a goal by Steven Fletcher, but they could not hold on to all three points and had to settle for a draw.

Scotland have won their last two away games, but they have tasted victory just once in their last three fixtures on home turf. The last result on Scottish land was a 2-2 draw with Poland in the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign. Strachan's side came close to winning the game, but they were dealt a sucker punch in the 94th minute when Robert Lewandowski scored an equaliser.

When discussing his team prior to the match, Strachan told reporters: "When you're making your debut, whatever level it is, it's good to have experienced players around you. I don't think it's that great to have a lot of inexperience around you when you make your debut.

"We pick the squad and then we look at the players and see who is ready. It's going to be hard because the intensity they have worked at has been quite phenomenal."

Scotland manager Gordon Strachan faces the media during a press conference at Sopwell House on August 13, 2013© Getty Images


Kenny McLean was given his full debut by Strachan and he almost came close to scoring in Prague. Tonights game gives the manager another chance to assess some of his uncapped players, but as we can see from his team selection, he is also keen to look at the experienced members in his squad.

SCOTLAND LINEUP CHANGE! It seems as though Strachan has changed his mind about the first XI that he selected this evening. According to Sky Sports News, uncapped John McGinn and Shaun Maloney will feature in the lineup instead of Charlie Mulgrew and Ikechi Anya. We are unsure at the moment why the alterations have been made.

Ikechi Anya scored in the 10th minute and it resulted in being the only goal of the game in Prague. The Czechs put their opponents under waves of pressure, particularly in the first half, and at times Scotland were just holding on but they managed to keep the hosts out the door.

Now the focus turns to the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign, and while Scotland have a difficult task trying to reach the major tournament, Strachan will be encouraged by the early showings of his team. Last week, he witnessed them claim a 1-0 win over the Czech Republic.

So, let's turn our attention back to Scotland shall we? The team had to deal with the disappointment of failing to qualify for the Euro 2016 finals in France. They finished fourth in Group A behind Germany, Poland and the Republic of Ireland. They managed to round off their campaign with a 6-0 thumping over Gibraltar, but the damage was already done.

So what about Denmark? Well, if you follow the English Premier League then there will be a few recognisable faces. Kasper Schmeichel, who is hoping to become a title winner with Leicester City this season, will sit in goal this evening. Schmeichel's league rival Christian Eriksen, who plays for Tottenham Hotspur, also starts this evening, while former Liverpool defender Daniel Agger captains the side.

Christian Eriksen of Denmark in action during the FIFA 2014 World Cup qualifier match between Italy and Denmark at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on October 16, 2012 in Milan, Italy. © Getty Images


As well as Tierney, Craig Gordon has come into the fold. He will take his place in goal, while Steven Whittaker, Gordon Greer, Grant Hanley, Matt Ritchie, Scott Brown and Leigh Griffiths are the outfield changes this evening. Scotland have a number of uncapped players who could make their debuts this evening. Scott Bain, Liam Cooper, John McGinn, Jamie Murphy will be hoping for their chance as they are named on the substitutes' bench, while there are also places for Paul Caddis and Liam Bridcutt, who are looking for their second caps.

The big news for Scotland is that Kieran Tierney makes his international debut this evening! As expected, Strachan has rung the changes - making nine in total. The only survivors from last week's 1-0 win over Czech Republic are Charlie Mulgrew and Ikechi Anya.

DENMARK XI: Schmeichel; Kjaer, Christensen, Agger, Dalsgaard, Durmisi; Hojbjerg, Delaney, Eriksen, Vurary; Jorgensen

SCOTLAND XI: Gordon; Whittaker, Tierney, Greer, Hanley, Mulgrew; Ritchie, Brown, Fletcher, Anya; Griffiths
Subs: Bain, Caddis, Maloney, Forrest, Martin, Cooper, McGinn, Bridcutt, Murphy, Burke

Right, before we go any further, let's bring you the lineups for both teams.

As for Denmark, well they too failed to reach the Euro 2016 finals and they too are looking for back-to-back wins this evening. They managed to overcome Iceland, who did make it to the Euros, last Thursday with a 2-1 triumph. Nicolai Jorgensen scored Denmark's goals and gave them their first win since June.

Scotland are the hosts tonight and manager Gordon Strachan is expected to ring the changes as he selected two different squads for this game and the previous match against the Czech Republic. The team were disappointed not to qualify for Euro 2016, but they have shown signs of improvement having beaten the Czechs 1-0 last week.

Hello all! We have another round of international fixtures on the schedule for you this evening. There are eight in total, and right here we will be focusing on one of the home nations. Scotland take on Denmark at Hampden Park and while neither side are preparing for Euro 2016, they have eyes on the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign, which begins in six months' time.

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