All pain no gain

ROBERT GRIEVE in Brussels
Published: 16 hrs ago

LAST night it was backs to the wall in Brussels.

This morning it is back to the drawing board.

Belgium flexed their bulging muscles to leave Scotland’s players out on their feet.

And now it could see Craig Levein out of a job.

There was no shame in the performance here inside the King Baudouin Stadium – for 90 minutes the Tartan Army watched a Belgian team go all out for a win.

But with Scotland sitting rock bottom of Group A the SFA hierarchy have a decision to make on whether it is time Levein is booted out.

The campaign is over, there’s no way back. Levein argues there is no point in continually sacking managers who can’t lead the country to a major tournament.

But if he is axed in the days to come he cannot say he was not given enough time. Levein was appointed in December 2009.

He’s given it his best shot, but it’s not been good enough.

His players gave him their all here — with outstanding keeper Allan McGregor performing heroics between the sticks.

In the end two goals inside two minutes from Christian Benteke and Vincent Kompany sealed Belgium’s win and a man’s fate.

Levein insisted in the build-up that he would have done nothing differently in the three previous qualifiers.

But his team selection told a different story. Charlie Adam replaced Scott Brown at half-time against Wales in Cardiff.

With the Celtic skipper back at home nursing his hip injury Levein took the decision not to turn to the Stoke star again as Adam was benched.

Instead Wigan’s James McArthur was the man entrusted with a crucial defensive role.

What a night for him to be thrown in. It was to be his first competitive start in a Scotland shirt.

Other than that Levein stuck with the same side that was undone by Gareth Bale’s brilliance in Cardiff four days earlier.

Left back Danny Fox almost had to pull out of the game after tweaking something in the warm-up, but after a rub-down he was passed fit. Belgium? Well, they had their star-studded line-up of players we have all grown to admire — minus some notable absentees.

Everton’s mop-top midfielder Marouane Fellaini was crocked.

Chelsea’s £35million man Eden Hazard left on the bench.

Marc Wilmots’ embarrassment of riches meant he could leave the Premiership superstar on the bench.

Right from the start the talent at his disposal was there for all to see.

From kick-off the white-shirted Scots were forced to chase the ball with Belgium creating the first chance with less than three minutes gone. Gary Caldwell sclaffed a clearance which Dries Mertens pounced on with McGregor forced to make his first great save.

The writing looked like it was on the wall — with Levein’s men’s backs right up against it.

Had it not been for ex-Rangers keeper Gregsy the game would have been over inside the first ten minutes.

He was at his brilliant best to deny Nacer Chadli and then Benteke as the chances began to mount up.

It wasn’t all Belgium in the first half, well, not entirely. Scotland tried to push out and cause problems and there were glimmers of hope. In 20 minutes Kris Commons appealed for a penalty when Thomas Vermaelen barged into him from behind inside the Belgium box.

On another night it could have been given, but Norwegian ref Tom Hagen ruled no foul.

The closest Scotland came to a first-half goal was two free-kicks from Shaun Maloney and Commons.

Both efforts were on target and capable of finding the net but keeper Thibaut Courtois saved twice.

Maloney’s effort was agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock and it took a breathtaking fingertip save from Courtois to deny him. But there was just so much about this Belgium team to admire as they threatened to score with every single attack.

Three more times McGregor watched the ball flash past his post before the interval with Chadli, Moussa Dembele and Mertens all coming close.

As he trudged off towards the dressing room for a break his team-mates had Gregsy to thank for keeping them in it.

Hazard’s introduction came at the start of the second half while Commons was hooked and replaced with Jamie Mackie.

But the pattern did not alter one iota. Belgium pressed and probed looking for openings with the Scotland defence unable to switch off for a second.

In 49 minutes Aston Villa ace Benteke clipped the top of the crossbar after outjumping Caldwell at the back post.

A half-chance to Mackie came in 62 minutes after a good cross from Fox wide on the left, but Belgium escaped.

In the end, though, Scotland couldn’t.

In two devastating minutes Wilmots’ men scored twice to end our World Cup dream.

Benteke finally broke the deadlock in 69 minutes with a powerful header into the net after Hazard’s cross.

Then moments later stopper Kompany produced a finish good enough to win any game.

He showed great footwork to outwit McArthur before unleashing a stunning shot high into the net past the helpless McGregor.