Steve Clarke suffered his first defeat as Scotland boss as Belgium preserved their 100% Euro 2020 qualification record with a perfunctory win.
Romelu Lukaku scored either side of the break in Brussels and Kevin de Bruyne added a stoppage-time third to condemn the Scots to a second away defeat in four Euro 2020 qualifiers.
A much-changed Scotland proved doughty opposition for the world’s best side, but find themselves fourth in Group I – three points adrift of Russia in the second automatic qualification place.
Clarke’s side now must steel themselves for Hampden dates with Russia and Belgium in September, knowing they will need to take points from those games to revive their hopes of automatic qualification.
Scotland have, though, already secured a Nations League play-off semi-final should they fail to finish in the top two of Group I.
The pre-match revelation that captain Andy Robertson would be absent with a hamstring problem did little to dissuade those envisaging a hideous hammering.
Would it eclipse the 7-0 hiding by Uruguay in the 1954 World Cup finals? Or the six-goal margins of defeat against England in 1961 and the Netherlands in 2003? Or maybe it would only be on a par with the five-goal drubbings by the likes of England, Austria, Portugal and France?
After all, a back four drawn from Kilmarnock, Aberdeen and Blackburn Rovers were an unlikely bulwark against some of the game’s finest attacking talent.
Greg Taylor, at 21, was making his debut up against Manchester City’s De Bruyne. Kilmarnock colleague Stephen O’Donnell was tasked with neutering £150m Real Madrid signing Eden Hazard. Charlie Mulgrew and Scott McKenna were left to scrap with Manchester United’s Lukaku.
This was not a night for Clarke to be without his only world-class player.
With that in mind, the decision to leave out Bournemouth’s Ryan Fraser – second only to Hazard for assists in Europe’s top five leagues this season – was especially eye-opening.
His replacement on the left of a midfield five, Stuart Armstrong, eked out the first real opening when his flick was gathered by Oliver Burke, only for the West Bromwich Albion attacker to tug his shot wide. It was to be the Southampton player’s only significant contribution before limping off
just after the half-hour with Fraser reinstated.
That half-chance for Burke was a rare foray upfield. At the other end, Hazard had already offered a reminder of his talents with a wriggle and spurt past O’Donnell on the left, before repeating the trick in the middle of the pitch and feeding De Bruyne, whose fierce strike was helped over the
bar by David Marshall. The goalkeeper then shovelled away Axel Witsel’s effort from the resulting corner.
The pressure built as the half went on. De Bruyne lashed wide after Taylor got into a funk trying to deal with a fiery Johnny Russell pass; Witsel had header cleared; Marshall had to soar towards his top left-hand corner to paw away a De Bruyne effort; and Lukaku butchered a tap-in by trying
to be too cute.
For all that Belgium were dominant, Scotland were robust, diligent and organised. But those prosaic qualities melted away in one wretched moment as the interval approached.
Hazard pivoted around Kenny McLean and fleetingly lost control of the ball before retrieving it from the touchline after Scott McTominay tried to let it run out. The attacker’s cross was perfect for Lukaku, who powered above Mulgrew and planted a header into the net.
