News

Rhodes opens account in win over Australia

Wednesday, 15 August 2012

Vauxhall International Challenge Match
Scotland 3-1 Australia
Wednesday 15 August 2012
Easter Road Stadium, Edinburgh

Rhodes '29, Davidson (og) '60, McCormack '73; Bresciano '18
 

Jordan Rhodes scored on his first senior start as Scotland produced a convincing 3-1 win over Australia at Easter Road.
 

The Huddersfield striker nodded home from a Danny Fox cross to cancel out an earlier Marco Breciano wonder strike while lady luck shone on the hosts as Jason Davidson headed into his own net.
 

Ross McCormack sealed the win with a piece of individual brilliance as he beat two before shooting low and past keeper Adam Federici.

However there was a set-back as first-choice goalkeeper Allan McGregor was replaced through injury early in the first half.
 

Preparations for upcoming FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifiers are now in their final stages.
 

Places are up for grabs for the opening matches at Hampden against Serbia and Macedonia next month.
 

Gary Caldwell - in a deep lying midfield position - displayed his side’s opening ambitions as he pinged a ball out right for Robert Snodgrass, who whipped in a cross for predator Rhodes.

But he was off-balance and failed to connect properly.
 

The Scots were finding plenty joy down the right.
 

James Morrison was linking up well with Charlie Adam and the West Brom midfielder shot just wide from 20 yards.
 

Rhodes was in the thick of it again as he escaped his defender to bullet a header inches wide from a fine Alan Hutton cross.
 

Australia scored in their first real attack.

Brett Holman's shot was cleared off the line by Danny Fox, as the visitors claimed handball.

The ball found its was out to Breciano, who beat the stretching McGregor with an unstoppable 25 yard volley.

McGregor was in obvious discomfort, and was quickly replaced by Blackpool 'keeper Gilks, in his first Scotland appearance.
 

Fox – making his first Scotland appearance for three years – put a marker down for a starting place against Serbia with a display of expert crossing ability.
 

Rhodes was the beneficiary on 28 minutes as he placed a header past Marc Schwarzer and into the corner of the net.
 

Craig Levein will have been encouraged by the interplay of Adam and Rhodes.
 

Rhodes’ clever runs were an ideal outlet for Adam’s creativity. The Liverpool playmaker almost laid on a second for the young striker, but the experienced Schwarzer blocked expertly.

Scotland dominated a second half broken up by a spate of substitutions.
 

Snodgrass and Sean Maloney combined to open up a chance for Naismith, but the shot was blocked by Lucas Neill.
 

Gilks was called into action on only one occasion, producing a top class one-handed save from Luke Wilkshire.
 

Fox was at the heart of things again for the second goal, this time producing a cross which baffled Aussie defender Jason Davidson, who placed a header into his own net just minutes after entering the fray.
 

Substitute Ross McCormack entertained the crowd with a weaving run into the 18-yard-box, and shot low past Federici to extend the lead.
 

Ian Black became the second debutant of the night, replacing Caldwell with a few minutes remaining.

Attendance: 11,110

Scotland: McGregor (GK) (Gilks, 21),  Hutton (Martin, 64), Fox (Mulgrew, 64) Caldwell (Cpt) (Black, 84), Webster, Snodgrass, Naismith, Rhodes (McCormack, 64), Morrison (Maloney, 26)

Subs not used:Goodwillie, Phillips,Cowie, Marshall (GK), Bannan.
 
Australia: Schwarzer (GK) (Federici, 46), Neill (Cpt), Williams, Ognenovski (McGowan, Wilkshire, Carney (Davidson, 60), Holman (MacDonald, 46), Valeri, Kruse, Brosque (Thomson, 84), Bresciano (Jedinak, 46)

Subs not used: Langarak (Gk), Kilkenny.