With seven goals in eight games already this season, Steven Naismith is sleeping soundly these nights.
Yet the Hearts striker threatened to end this Nations League qualifier a tortured figure. A man destined to spend his sleepless hours tossing and turning. Pondering what might have been.
He missed a veritable sitter in 24 minutes. The offside flag denied him some much needed atonement before half-time. Even UEFA were at it, ruling - rightly - that Albania defender Berat Xhimshiti had applied the finish to Scotland’s opening in 46 minutes.
Steven Naismith's double guided Scotland to a win in the opening game in the Nations League
The 31-year-old headed in Scotland second from a corner 25 minutes from time on Monday
It turned out alright in the end. A contentious choice to start before Celtic’s Leigh Griffiths the former Rangers and Everton man vindicated a bold and contentious team selection by Alex McLeish by claiming his eighth Scotland goal with a header in 68 minutes.
Above the pre-match strains of Flower of Scotland Hampden became reacquainted with an old familiar scraping noise last night. The sound of knives being sharpened.
Make no mistake. Had Alex McLeish failed to win here he was in trouble.
Beaten in four of his five games in charge since returning to the Scotland job six months ago the naysayers were lining up after a 4-0 home defeat to Belgium on Friday night, a 90 minutes of self inflicted wounds.
Ranked 58 in the FIFA world ratings Albania proved a more modest challenge. One McLeish simply had to overcome.
After a first half of missed opoortunities Scotland’s first goal in almost six hours of international football came with Xhimshiti’s own goal in 46 minutes. Naismith earned the man of the match award for the perseverance which secured the three points before next month’s trip to Israel
Naismith's first went in off Albania defender Berat Djimsiti (No 6) immediately after the break
The Hearts forward celebrates with his team-mates after breaking the deadlock
The team selection was bold. Even to those who’ve tried to put some context and persective to the four defeats in five games against the Belgians, Costa Rica, Peru and Mexico it was a hard one to fathom.
James Forrest - the Celtic winger with Champions League experience - was benched in favour of Stephen O’Donnell of Kilmarnock. Leigh Griffiths, by common consent the most potent threat, was left out in favour of Naismith, with Johnny Russell in support. Fulham’s Kevin McDonald, widely expected to make way in midfield, kept his place as the number eight.
Captain Andrew Robertson and Kieran Tierney - natural left-backs with Liverpool and Celtic - were once again shunted out of position to shoehorn them both in the team. Craig Gordon was dropped for Allan McGregor and when the replacement of the Celtic goalkeeper with his Rangers rival is the least contentious decision on show it tells you something.
People don’t need much excuse to have a go at the appointment of McLeish for a second spell in charge. And in the aftermath of Friday’s 4-0 thrashing to Belgium they’ve had plenty. Single-minded management is an admirable trait. But only when it works.
Scotland boss Alex McLeish shouts instructions to his squad in the heavy rain on Monday
It did with O’Donnell, to be fair. In the pre-match press conference the Scotland manager spoke of his players swarming all over Albania ‘like bees’. The aim was to play a high tempo, high energy game with legs and running and, on a slick slipper surface, the Scots provided some terrific service from wide areas for Russell and Naismith. Most of it came from O’Donnell.
A Romelu Lukauku or Harry Kane would have run amok with the balls coming in.
Naismith - in particular - blew the best of them. A John McGinn diagonal free-kick towards the back post, nodded back across goal by defender Charlie Mulgrew where Naismith looked odds on to claim his eighth goal in Scotland colours. Arriving at the back post he only had to hit the target from three yards out, skewing his header against the inside of the upright, watching in horror as the ball ran along the goalline, the opportunity gone
It’s unlikely anything will eclipse Chris Iwelumo’s hideous miss against Norway in 2008. This might have been as close as Hampden has witnessed since.
Naismith came incredibly close to breaking the deadlock in the first half at Hampden Park
His header rebounded off the post before scurrying across the line and then out of play
Mercifully, the former Rangers and Everton striker cancelled out the damage with one second half goal and a decent claim to two. He could have done it four minutes before half-time. Sidefooting Callum McGregor’s prodded effort into the net from eight yards, the offside flag only added to the nagging fear that Scotland’s wastefulness might cost them.
In truth he performance deserved more than a stalemate at half-time. McGregor’s whipped free kick under the crossbar forced keeper Thomas Strakosha to take no chances when Russell was fouled in the third minute. The rain tumbled from a leaden Glasgow sky, the conditions a hazardous business for the Albanian keeper. Charlie Mulgrew’s free kick from 25 yards was almost spilled at the feet of Naismith midway through the half.
The reminder that Albania were no Belgium came four minutes before and half-time.
Albania Coach Christian Panucci looks dejected as his side trail at Hampden Park on Monday
Every time Scotland gave the ball away the World Cup semi-finalists punished them savagely.
John McGinn gifted the opening goal on Friday and, disturbingly, he almost did it again when an awful pass on the halfway line allowed Ledian Memushaj to run 30 yards and thump a hopeless shot wide of goal.
At this level persistent failings are brutally exposed. Naismith’s ricochetted header gave the Scots a terrific start to the second half and the assumption was that would be that. The home team had the goal they needed and deserved and Albania didn’t look up to much.
Naismith also correctly had a goal chalked off for offside in the first half against Albania
John Souttar shows his frustration after coming close for the hosts early on in the game
Yet McGinn almost cancelled out the advantage with another blunder minutes later, . This time a short left-foot passback forced Allan McGregor to race from his line to meet Bekim Balaj as the Albanian number 19’s bottle sank collapsed.
Round one to McGregor was followed by another huge intervention in the 50th minute as Albania began to show worryingly levels of menace and ambition. Prompted by the power and pace from midfield classy Brescia midfelder Emanuel Ndoj, Balaj slotted a sidefoot netbound shot towards goal, the outstretched knee of Allan McGregor vindicating the decision to hand the Rangers keeper the gloves ahead of Gordon.
Balaj must have flown home last night a tortured figure. The Akhmat Grozny had another outstanding chance from an Ndoj whipped cross, thumping a volley over the bar from the penalty spot.
Scotland and Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn applauds the fans after the 2-0 win
Scotland needed a second goal to quell the rebellion. It almost came when Naismith’s through pass came off the heel of defender Xhimshiti, Callum McGregor racing in on goal before Frederic Veseli made up the ground to make a vital block.
The sedative finally came in 67 minutes. This time there was no denying Naismith his goal.
McGinn’s outswinging left foot corner skidded off the head of defender Veseli in a crowded area. With the keeper off his line, the goal unguarded, the lurking Naismith looped a header into the net for 2-0.
Link articlehttps://hienalouca.com/2018/09/10/scotland-2-0-albania-steven-naismith-strikes-to-get-nations-league-quest-off-to-a-great-start/
Main photo article With seven goals in eight games already this season, Steven Naismith is sleeping soundly these nights.
Yet the Hearts striker threatened to end this Nations League qualifier a tortured figure. A man destined to spend his sleepless hours tossing and turning. Pondering what might have been.
He...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves Sport HienaLouca
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/09/10/21/50002CA400000578-6152617-image-a-21_1536611295020.jpg
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