Resurgent Scots make it six points out of six

Lithuania 1
Miceika, 85

Scotland 2
Dailly, 46
Miller, 62

SCOTLAND returned to old times last night, to an age when victory in Lithuania would have been the least expected of a team attempting to qualify for the finals of the European Championship.

But, in the present time, it should be recognised as an outstanding achievement, confirmation of the resurgence of confidence and spirit - as well as a conspicuous ration of skill - under the management of Walter Smith.

Until the Lithuania substitute, Darius Miceika, scored for the home side five minutes from the end, the 3,000 or so travelling fans at the San Darius and San Gerenio Stadium here in Kaunas would have considered the victory to be unexpectedly comprehensive and comfortable. There had been a cohesiveness and determination about the dark blue jerseys that had made them the better side for most of the time, an impression that had been confirmed by the goals from Christian Dailly and Kenny Miller early in the second half.

Dailly's goal was an appropriate reward for a Scotland team who had been forced to absorb a couple of misfortunes that could have had a discouraging impact on a group with less conviction.

But, at a venue which brought only the depression and shame of defeat by moderate opponents on their last visit, there was a pronounced difference in the Scots' morale, self-belief and overall competence.

Clearly buoyed by the 6-0 victory over the Faroes in their opening match four days earlier, Smith's side showed none of the hang-dog resignation that had been a feature of so many of their performances under the present manager's predecessor, Berti Vogts.

Even the unforeseen early set-backs they had to endure - injuries that denied them the services of James McFadden after only 23 minutes and of Nigel Quashie just before half-time - were accommodated without undue, and potentially damaging, self-pity.

The enforced re-arrangements would certainly disrupt the unity of movement and thought that had marked the visitors' endeavours in the opening 20 minutes, but there was little sign of capitulating to their misfortune.

Graham Alexander replaced McFadden and took the right wing-back role from Dailly, who joined Steven Pressley and David Weir in the three-man central defence, with Gary Caldwell moving into midfield and Paul Hartley taking the position vacated by McFadden, behind lone striker Miller.

The loss of Quashie - he had been injured in a bad challenge by Mantas Savenas - brought Kris Boyd off the bench, allowing Miller to drop in behind, with Hartley reverting to midfield. But, of all the misfortunes that befell the Scots in that eventful first half, arguably the least welcome was the booking of Miller for a high challenge which keeps him out of the match against France on 7 October, having been yellow-carded last Saturday.

Lithuania, too, were driven by incentive and self-belief, having achieved the 1-1 draw with Italy in Naples last weekend that seemed even less likely than Scotland's wide-margin thrashing of the Faroese. The home side were also, as expected, much improved from the one who won the fixture in 2003. This combination of the eagerness, resolve and forcefulness of both sides led inevitably to a competitive contest that brought a succession of threats on both goals early on.

In one sequence soon after the start, Gary Naysmith headed a header from Tomas Zvirgzdauskas off the line after a corner from the right and Quashie, with a powerful right-foot shot on the turn, forced an excellent save from goalkeeper Zydrunas Karcemarskas.

Those moments established the high tempo of the exchanges for most of those first 45 minutes and, if goals proved elusive, it was primarily because of the saves Karcemarskas would make later from McFadden and Miller.

It was another good effort from Miller that brought the corner kick which led to the Scots' taking the lead. His powerful drive from the left was saved again by Karcemarskas and Naysmith delivered the outswinging ball from the left.

Dailly, timing his forward run and jump impeccably, appeared to be a couple of feet above his challengers when he met the ball flush on the forehead and sent the header low to the left of the goalkeeper from about seven yards' range.

If that was, in the circumstances, a hard act to top, Miller managed it in breathtaking fashion only 15 minutes later. When Robertas Poskus was booked for a foul on Pressley, Gordon took the long free-kick from just outside his penalty area. Boyd challenged in the air, but if any contact was made, it was tangential. It was enough to wrong-foot the defenders, however, and allow the ball to run to Miller.

The Celtic striker took it on his chest and ran across the area left to right before hitting a ferocious right-foot volley on the turn past Karcemarskas from eight yards. If his untidy penalty against the Faroes was the goal that ended his drought, this was the one that showed his preferred drink is champagne.

It was the least Miller deserved from an all-round performance that thrillingly vindicated Smith's insistence on retaining him as the team's principal striker. His constant movement in forward areas consistently alarmed the home defenders, his ability to keep possession allowing team-mates to join him when the opportunity arose.

But the soundness of the Scots' defence, brilliantly marshalled by the veteran Weir, made the late goal from Lithuania the more shocking. Until that moment, they had been consistently denied opportunities. It was when Caldwell conceded a corner on the left that, for the first time, the ball was not properly cleared. It bounced in front of Miceika, who had replaced Aidas Preiksaitis just three minutes earlier, and he hit an overhead volley high to the right of Gordon.
Weir caps landmark with a win to savour

Taken from the Scotsman