Scotland finished their World Cup preparations in the best possible way, cruising to a 4-0 victory over Bolivia. Steve Clarke’s men went 3-0 up after 30 minutes, the first time they had done so since a 3-0 win away to Cyprus in September 2023.
Tonight’s match and that Euro 2024 qualifier in Cyprus are the only two occasions Scotland have done this outside Scotland since 1950. Soon after finding the answer to how often Scotland have raced into a 3-0 lead in the first half hour - 23 times - my spreadsheets were open again, as Scotland made it four on the stroke of half-time.
That was the first time Scotland had raced into a 4-0 first-half lead since a 6-0 win against the Faroe Islands at Celtic Park in 2006. Tonight’s co-commentator, James McFadden, scored in that match, as did studio guest Kenny Miller. Tyler Fletcher came on for the last 10 minutes tonight, and his dad Darren was also among the goals 20 years ago.
A 4-1 win over Trinidad & Tobago in 2004 was the only other such occurrence this century. Across Scotland’s 853 matches, they have been 4-0 up in the first half on only 19 occasions.
We can’t get carried away, though. Bolivia may have beaten Brazil and Colombia in World Cup qualifying, but those wins can largely be attributed to the high altitude of their home stadium. They traditionally play in La Paz, already around 3,600 metres above sea level, and in the 2026 qualifiers they moved some matches to El Alto, around 4,150 metres. The opposition have to deal with thinner air and faster fatigue, and Bolivia have been able to capitalise on that advantage for years. But their away form ensured that they are not going to the World Cup.
Bolivia finished seventh in qualifying, and a fair assessment may be that the South American side were distinctly average tonight: ranked 77th in the FIFA world rankings and playing in an end-of-season friendly. But Haiti are ranked 82nd in the same rankings, so tonight may have been a useful exercise in showing what Scotland can do when they play attacking football with two strikers.
This is, of course, an oversimplification, but Scotland have played two strikers in both friendly matches this week, and in both games they have scored four times. Back-to-back 4+ goal games have happened only 18 times in Scotland’s history, and this week was the first time for nearly 100 years.
If Scotland can make it three consecutive games of scoring four goals next week against Haiti, for what would be just the fifth time in their history - and the first time since 1929 - then a World Cup knockout tie will be all but secured. Hwfg.
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