Dominant Warm-Up Win
Scotland Thrash Bolivia 4-0 in Clinical World Cup Warm-Up as Clarke Praises Finishing
Scotland beat Bolivia 4-0 in their final World Cup warm-up in New Jersey. Lawrence Shankland scored early, Scott McTominay added a second from close range, and Ché Adams netted twice in a dominant first half. Steve Clarke called it a clinical success with no injuries and said Scotland’s “finishing” work is starting to pay off ahead of their opener against Haiti next week, while pointing to Ben Gannon-Doak, Adams and midfield link-ups and noting McTominay’s 70th Scotland cap. The match also came amid team news with Billy Gilmour ruled out with a knee injury and Tyler Fletcher called up, while Bolivia had absences through injury and visa paperwork issues. Bolivia, who last reached a World Cup in 1994, missed out again after losing to Iraq in the intercontinental play-offs.
Key Points
Steve Clarke told BBC Scotland: “For once I got everything I asked for - no injuries, a performance and a good result,” and added that they’ve been working “about being more clinical” before the World Cup opener vs Haiti.
Scotland’s first goal came when Lawrence Shankland met Andy Robertson’s cross with a “measured header” in the fifth minute, while Scott McTominay scored 18 minutes later with a low finish from outside the box—both details that underline how early pressure became goals.
The midfield and wide-forward link-ups drew praise beyond the scores: former Scotland international Rachel Corsie said, “The understanding between Ryan Christie and Robertson is evident,” and highlighted Ben Gannon-Doak’s “pace and ability to take us forward and beat a player.”
The lineup absences for Bolivia were more specific than visa/injury in general terms: right-back Diego Medina was injured; left-back Dieguito Rodriguez and attacking midfielder Jesus Maraude didn’t complete visa paperwork; and midfielder Hector Cuellar was absent because he was completing a move to Bulgarian club CSKA 1948.
Scotland also faced bigger availability questions than the match itself: 43-year-old Craig Gordon returned from a shoulder injury to play the first half, while Middlesbrough forward Tommy Conway will “miss the World Cup with an ankle problem” and Southampton’s Ross Stewart “could feature…for the first time since 2022.”
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