Scotland make winning start to the Nations Cup

Scotland got off to a winning start in Dublin as they thumped Northern Ireland 3-0 in the Nations Cup.

Scotland were dominant in the first half and should’ve been more than two goals ahead at the break.

The goals that did come saw skipper for the night Kenny Miller score in 19 minutes. His shot, from a Charlie Adam cross, did take a deflection to beat Tuffey but it was no more than Scotland deserved even this early on.

Then debutant James McArthur of Wigan made it two before the break. There will long be debate about whether he meant it or not but he won’t care as his shot cum cross sailed past Tuffey and dropped in.

The game was sealed after the break when Celtic’s recent signing Kris Commons made it three. McArthur and Steven Naismith combined to end a sweeping move to set Commons that had seen Scotland keep the ball for 20 passes or so.

The game petered out after this with the usual raft of substitutions but it could prove valuable in the long run with Craig Levein having had the opportunity to give debuts to a number of players including McArthur, Snodgrass and Conway.

There has to a be a sense of realism added to the win with Northern Ireland having so many players pull out they looked a bit of a shambles. As the old saying goes you can only beat what is put in front of you!

The win sees Scotland level on points and goal difference with the Republic of Ireland after they had beaten Wales by the same scoreline last night.