Scotland signed off from home soil in style with a convincing 4-1 victory over Curacao as Steve Clarke’s side completed their final preparation before departing for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
A heavily-rotated Scottish side recovered from an early setback to produce an impressive second-half display, with new Rangers striker Lawrence Shankland stealing the spotlight with a clinical brace at Hampden Park.
The visitors stunned the home crowd midway through the first half when Sheffield United winger Tahith Chong produced a moment of quality.
After collecting the ball near the halfway line, Chong drove forward before cutting inside and curling a superb effort beyond the Scottish goalkeeper and in off the post to give Curacao a surprise lead.
Scotland struggled to establish control but the game shifted dramatically in the 38th minute when Curacao striker Jurgen Locadio was shown a red card for an elbow on Aaron Hickey.
Despite gaining a numerical advantage, Scotland suffered a worrying setback shortly afterwards when Napoli midfielder Billy Gilmour was forced off with a knee injury.
The midfielder went down after a routine pass and was immediately substituted, leaving Clarke and his coaching staff anxiously awaiting further assessment ahead of the World Cup.
His replacement, teenage winger Findlay Curtis, made an instant impact.
The 19-year-old needed only two touches to make his mark on the international stage.
After settling himself with his first involvement, Curtis calmly slotted a low effort into the far corner to level the score just before half-time and register his first senior international goal.
The equaliser transformed Scotland’s momentum heading into the break.Scotland emerged for the second half with renewed energy and quickly turned their dominance into goals.
Shankland put the hosts ahead just before the hour mark after a cleverly executed training-ground set-piece.
Four minutes later, the new Rangers signing struck again. Combining brilliantly with Lyndon Dykes, Shankland finished confidently into the far corner to complete his brace and effectively put the contest beyond Curacao.
The goals took the striker’s international tally to six and provided another timely reminder of his value heading into the tournament.
Curtis continued to impress throughout the second half and played a key role in Scotland’s fourth goal when he won a penalty after being brought down inside the area.
With Shankland already substituted and denied the chance of a hat-trick, Bournemouth midfielder Ryan Christie stepped up and calmly converted from the spot to complete the scoring.
The victory sends Scotland to the United States in positive spirits as they prepare for their first World Cup appearance since 1998.
However, concerns remain over Gilmour’s fitness ahead of a challenging Group C campaign.
Scotland begin their tournament against Haiti in Boston on June 14 before facing heavyweight opponents Morocco and Brazil in what promises to be a demanding group-stage test.
For now, though, Clarke’s side can take confidence from a strong send-off performance, with emerging talents and experienced campaigners alike making their case before football’s biggest stage.
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