SCOTLAND ARE SHRUGGED OFF by Glenn Gibbons

FRANCE brought the football version of the Gallic shrug to Hampden Park last night, officially opening the new national stadium with a victory that was the very epitome of nonchalance. Having contained the world champions with an encouraging application of their limited strengths in the first half, Craig Brown’s re-arranged team were at the mercy of France’s lacerating power in the second which reminded a 48,157 crowd the visitors did not come with a false reputation.

Thierry Henry confirmed the victory with the second goal one minute from the end, a brilliantly-controlled, side-footed low drive from 20 yards out on the left after Colin Hendry had block-tackled Patrick Vieira and the ball had broken out to the Arsenal striker. It was the least the winners deserved after a period in which they emphasised the known gap between the teams.

The substitutes, Johan Micoud and Sylvain Wiltord, had combined to open the scoring early in the second half, a goal that allowed the French to demonstrate their right to be called champions. But it could hardly be called a black night for the Scots, who not only resisted, but even frightened their visitors before the latter’s class told.

Paul Telfer, Paul Ritchie and Colin Cameron, all improbable starters but for the injury-enforced absence of others, made it known from the outset that their dedication to self-advancement as well as the team cause would lack nothing in the way of willingness to work themselves to a standstill. But, as Cameron demonstrated with an early aberration, an excess of adrenaline can have a disruptive effect on composure. The busy little Hearts midfielder became an auxiliary striker as he moved forward in anticipation of Telfer’s chip into the middle of the French defence and suddenly discovered that his kind of application can bring a wedge of good fortune.

As Marcel Desailly and Lilian Thuram both went for the ball, it merely cannoned off the back of the latter’s head straight to the feet of Cameron, who had only Ulrich Rame to beat from seven yards. Those who watch Cameron regularly at Tynecastle would have staked the deeds of the plantation on his converting the opportunity for his club, but excitement seemed to interfere with his action as he sliced the volley wide. Astonishingly, that was not the first scare for the world champions, even if it did arrive after only 12 minutes.

The opening moment of alarm came after only two, when the Scots had a score disallowed. Callum Davidson’s long throw from the left was helped on by Don Hutchison’s head to Billy Dodds. The Rangers striker’s flick came off Laurent Blanc as Gallacher harrassed the big defender and the ball slipped away from Rame and over the line as the Newcastle forward followed it home. But referee, Rune Pedersen, decided Gallacher had initially used a hand to knock the ball forward. In the entire first half, the French contrived very little in the way of scoring opportunities, forcing Neil Sullivan to save only once in that time. The chance came from a little luck, the long ball from Thuram out on the right beating Telfer on the bounce and allowing Christophe Dugarry a shot from six yards out to the left. Sullivan, alert and quick, made the save with his left ankle.

Youri Djorkaeff’s curling free-kick from the left could have caused a problem had Desailly, leaping unchallenged, not failed to connect, but there was a tidiness and concentration about the Scotland defending which made it difficult for the visitors to impose their will. In midfield, Barry Ferguson, Don Hutchison and Cameron refused to be intimidated by reputation, although there is growing evidence that age and wear and tear is beginning to exact its toll of the marvellous Didier Deschamps. Predictably, much would change after the interval, as both coaches took the opportunity to make substitutions which would allow them toassess more members of their respective squads.

The most significant of these was always likely to be Lemerre’s introduction ofMicoud, the Bordeaux playmaker who had caused Manchester United so much bother in the Champions League match at Old Trafford that he caused Alex Ferguson to alter his tactical deployment to cope with his forward surges from midfield. The Scots seemed to befatally unaware of Micoud’s strengths as they allowed him the space from which toengineer France’s lead just eight minutes into the second half. As Micoud carried the ball with intent to menace towards the home penalty area, they backed off, allowing the Frenchman to slip the ball to another substitute, his clubmate Wiltord, on the right side of the area and Wiltord finished beautifully, sliding the right-foot shot away to the right of Sullivan from ten yards.

Brown had replaced Cameron and Ritchie with Neil McCann and Steven Pressleyrespectively and there was no surprise about the later substitution of Telfer with Allan Johnston in the search for an equaliser. But, when Patrick Vieira replaced Deschamps, the difference in the depth of talent available to the respective managers was unmissable. It will come as no surprise to anyone who saw last night’s match if Micoud becomes a regular in the French side ahead of Deschamps and, of course, Lemerre had one of the world’s most formidable players, Zinedine Zidane, at home nursing an injury. In the circumstances, Brown’s ultimately hard-pressed squad could reasonably be said to have done better than expected.

Scotland: Sullivan, Dailly, Hendry, Ritchie, Telfer, Ferguson, Hutchison, Cameron, Davidson, Gallacher, Dodds. Subs: Gould, Anderson, Pressley, Naysmith, Johnston, Burchill, McCann.

France: Rame, Thuram, Blanc, Desailly, Lizarazu, Giuly, Deschamps, Petit, Djorkaeff, Dugarry, Henry. Subs: Vieira, Trezeguet, Pires, Wiltord, Djetou, Letizi, Leboeuf, Mecoud.

Referee: R Pedersen (Norway).