Scotland vs Switzerland: Hendry Red Card Shapes 3-0 Loss
Turned after Jack Hendry’s early red card, and Scotland were beaten 3-0 in Sebastien Pocognoli’s first home match in charge. Ricardo Rodriguez, Nico Elvedi and…
HAMPDEN PARK — Scotland vs Switzerland swung sharply after Jack Hendry was sent off inside the first 10 minutes, and the visitors went on to win 3-0 in Sebastien Pocognoli’s first home match as Scotland head coach. Ricardo Rodriguez, Nico Elvedi and Zeki Amdouni scored as Switzerland made it six points from six in Nations League B.
The early dismissal changed everything. Scotland spent almost the whole match with 10 men and were left chasing the game against a Switzerland side that controlled long stretches and punished the gaps when they opened.
How the match turned
The key moment came when Hendry hauled down Nottingham Forest forward Dan Ndoye and initially received a yellow card after the referee first pointed to the spot. VAR then intervened, the penalty was overturned, and Hendry was shown a red card instead.
Rodriguez stepped up for the resulting free kick and curled it into the top-left corner from the edge of the box. Scotland were behind, and they were a man light.
It got worse for the home side after the break. Remo Freuler’s low cross found Nico Elvedi, who helped the ball into the far corner at the near post. Then Burnley forward Zeki Amdouni added the third in the 82nd minute, latching onto Ndoye’s cutback and striking past Scotland goalkeeper Angus Gunn.
Scotland did have brief spells of resistance. They responded after the red card and tried to stay compact, but Switzerland looked comfortable. The visitors never seemed rushed.
Pocognoli left searching for his first win
Pocognoli’s first night in charge at Hampden ended in frustration. He said the dismissal defined the contest, telling BBC Scotland: “They [the players] worked with 10 men for 80 minutes, maybe more, they showed great character to stick together for that time.”
He added: “It's not easy against a good team to be with 10 men. It will be more about the reaction because we were so excited to start this first page of the b”
That reaction now matters fast. Scotland travel to North Macedonia on Saturday before welcoming Slovenia to Hampden next Tuesday, and both games sit inside a short window where points are already becoming precious.
Switzerland, meanwhile, arrived with momentum after responding strongly to allegations involving vaccination certificates that threatened to hang over the international break. They walked away from Glasgow with another clean-looking result, and six points from two matches leave them well placed in Group B1.
For Scotland, the bigger problem was not just the scoreline. They have scored only once in five games, and this defeat exposed how thin the margin is when discipline breaks down early. One tackle changed the night. Then another. Then the match was gone.
Former Scotland midfielder Scott Brown told BBC Two: “You can't judge the manager or the players for today because of how early we went down to 10 men.” Former defender Willie Miller was more blunt on BBC Sportsound, saying: “It's a horrible situation. He was sounding pretty depressed there, Pocognoli. We all are.”
Scotland’s next chance comes quickly. On Saturday in Skopje, Pocognoli gets another test, and the pressure will not wait.
Source: bbc.com
