Scotland 0-1 Japan
International Friendly
Saturday, 28 March 2026
Barclays Hampden, Glasgow

Scorers

Scotland 0
Japan 1 (Junya Ito 84’)

Team News

Steve Clarke’s first Scotland eleven of 2026 showed five changes from the team that started November’s famous victory over Denmark.

Craig Gordon, Grant Hanley, Ryan Christie, Ben Gannon-Doak and Aaron Hickey all started against the Danes, though only Hanley and Christie took places on the bench with Gordon, Gannon-Doak and Hickey missing from the squad.

In their places, Angus Gunn, Jack Hendry, Kenny McLean, Tommy Conway and Nathan Patteron all featured from the beginning. Having received his first senior Scotland call up to this month’s camp, Findlay Curtis was named among the substitutes.

As It Happened

44,644 supporters packed into Barclays Hampden for the first Men’s international fixture since securing World Cup qualification against Denmark in November.

Scotland were nearly off to the perfect start when John McGinn showed real tenacity to battle past the Japanese defender, standing the ball up for the onrushing Scott McTominay to fire at goal, with Zion Suzuki managing to divert his effort onto the post.

Angus Gunn was called into action soon afterwards, managing to hold Joel Fujita’s long-distance effort after Scotland failed to clear Maeda’s corner.

The visitors grew into the game increasingly as the first half went on, hitting the woodwork on the 38th minute.

Yuito Suzuki’s through pass looked destined to find Kodai Sano before Tommy Conway nipped in, with Ao Tanaka firing first time at goal on the follow up, kissing the top of Gunn’s crossbar before heading out for a goal kick.

Moments later, Daizen Maeda fed Suzuki through on the right – faced up by Jack Hendry, the midfielder faked to go inside before firing straight at Gunn once more on his right foot.

The next chance fell the way of Scotland, with McTominay’s glancing header being comfortably held by Suzuki after an excellent cross by Nathan Patterson.

In the closing minutes of the first half, the visitors squandered two further chances to take the lead.

First, Suzuki found Yukinari Sugawara who had made an overlapping run on the right, before he cut the ball across goal, causing havoc in the box with no Japan player able to turn the ball home, with Nathan Patterson eventually being able to clear the danger for Scotland.

Then, right on the half-time whistle, Tsuyoshi Watanabe was left unmarked in the penalty area, with Suzuki’s cross finding the defender who ought to have scored with his header that was easily saved by Gunn.

After the interval, Scotland upped the intensity, with skipper Andy Robertson’s cross falling just behind McTominay as he steered his header high over the bar.

McTominay tested Suzuki on 52 minutes, when he stepped up to strike a freekick in which he won, with the Japan keeper taking no chances in tipping the ball over for a Scotland corner.

The Japanese goalkeeper was a busy man in the opening exchanges of the second period, with Andy Robertson skipping past Sugawara before forcing Suzuki into action, tipping the Liverpool man’s effort wide for a corner.

Half-time substitute, Kaoru Mitoma, made an instant impact for the visitors. Junya Ito’s outswinger bypassed everyone in white in the penalty area, falling for Mitoma who took a touch to set himself, before firing narrowly wide on the half volley.

For Japan’s next chance, Mitoma turned provider – playing Ito in behind the defence, who turned inside and then out, making his way past Hendry but Gunn was out quickly to narrow the angle and thwart the Genk attacker.

Coming on as a second half substitute to replace Lyndon Dykes, George Hirst almost broke the deadlock on 79 minutes, working his way into the eighteen-yard box before firing into the side netting at Suzuki’s near post, fooling many in Hampden Park who thought the striker had found the opener.

Steve Clarke turned to his bench once more with ten minutes to play, bringing on Findlay Curtis for his Scotland debut and Anthony Ralston for his 25th international cap.

Six minutes from time, Japan scored the decisive opening goal. A flowing attacking move was finished off by half-time substitute Junya Ito, with Gunn helpless to prevent the ball from nestling into the net as Scotland fell to a late defeat in their first pre-tournament friendly at Hampden.

Next Up

Scotland travel to the Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool on Tuesday evening as they face Cote D’Ivoire in their next World Cup warm-up match.

Teams

Scotland: Gunn, Patterson (Ralston 80’), Hendry, McKenna, Robertson (Tierney 70’), Ferguson, McLean, McGinn (Christie 63’), McTominay (Gilmour 71’), Conway (Curtis 80’), Dykes (Hirst 63’)

Unused Substitutes: Kelly, Bain, Hanley, Adams, Miller, Souttar, McCrorie, Hyam, Irving

Japan: Z. Suzuki, Seko (Hashioka 77’), Watanabe (Taniguchi 46’), Ito (J. Suzuki 46’), Sugawara (Doan 62’), Fujita (Shiogai 78’), Tanaka (Kamada 78’), Maeda (Nakamura 62’), Y. Suzuki (Ito 63’), Sano (Mitoma 46’), Goto (Ueda 63’)

Unused Substitutes: Osako, Hayakawa, Machino, Ogawa, Sano