Craig Levein presides over damaging draw for Scotland in Lithuania

Euro 2012 Qual Group I
Lithuania 0
Scotland 0

* Ewan Murray at Dariaus ir Gireno, Kaunas
* guardian.co.uk, Friday 3 September 2010 21.49 BST
* Article history

Steven Whittaker Scotland's Steven Whittaker is challenged by Edgaras Cesnauskas and Marius Stankevicius of Lithuania in Kaunas. Photograph: Liusjenas Kulbis/AP

Craig Levein's contentment at a rare, impressive showing from Scotland away from home will be tempered by the reality. Landed in a qualifying group which also includes Spain and the Czech Republic, the Scots needed to glean six points from their meetings with Lithuania to keep hopes of an appearance at Euro 2012 alive.

Scotland's unrewarded domination here in Kaunas last night, particularly during the second half, will pray on the manager's mind. For the remainder of Levein's tenure, he is unlikely to see his team enjoy as much possession away from home as they did here.

"We had the opportunities to win," he said. "All our performance lacked was a goal.

"They had a tactic which was to foul, but they were going five and six without getting a booking," he added. "It is important that the referee looks after things like that, but he didn't."

Levein described a late lunge by Kestutis Ivaskevicius on Alan Hutton as "ridiculous".

Stockholm, Cardiff, Oslo, Skopje and Amsterdam are among the cities Scotland have visited in the recent past. Victory has not been forthcoming in any of them. The continued faith of the Tartan Army, 3,000 of whom made the journey, is baffling.

Yellow cards for two members of Lithuania's back four, issued within 20 minutes, illustrated the home side's combative approach and it was they who created the first meaningful chance, when Allan McGregor was forced to make a fine stop from a Saulius Mikoliunas shot.

His opposite number, Zydrunas Karcemarskas, was similarly smart in clawing away two long-range efforts from Barry Robson. Stephen McManus also volleyed narrowly wide, having collected a Darren Fletcher free-kick.

Levein had banked on experience to improve fortunes. David Weir – at 40, three years older than Lithuania's manager – and Lee McCulloch had returned. Youthfulness and pace was to be supplied by Steven Naismith, who was lively enough during the first-half. Hutton, having made a surprising recovery from groin surgery, offered further attacking presence with marauding runs from full-back.

There was an anxious moment for Scotland as half-time approached, Mikoliunas falling – all too readily – inside the area under a challenge from Scott Brown. The Turkish referee waved away claims for a penalty, however, but only after a pause.

Robson's cross to the unmarked Kenny Miller moments after the restart afforded Scotland their first clear-cut opportunity. But the Rangers striker, who has opened the domestic season in terrific form, should have done better than supply a tame header, which sailed into the home goalkeeper's hands.

The appearance of Kris Boyd and McFadden warming up on the track suggested Levein was perplexed by Scotland's bluntness. The manager could at least take solace from the presence of Weir at the other end, with the veteran coping with what little Lithuania threw towards him.

Naismith was the next Scot to be foiled, shooting again straight at Karcemarskas while under no pressure, in another example of wastefulness.

If it was clear long before full time that Lithuania would be the grateful recipients of a point, Scotland's desperation grew. That emotion, though, rarely triggers the composure needed to prise open teams, as proved the case.

Taken from the Guardian/Observer