Scotland player ratings in Nations League defeat vs Switzerland: 1/10 fall guy as Pocognoli's Hampden bow wrecked

Sebastien Pocognoli's first home match as Scotland head coach ended in a night of frustration as Switzerland ran out convincing 3-0 winners at Hampden Park, with Jack Hendry's early red card ultimately proving decisive.

Having made a decent start to his reign with a promising goalless draw in Slovenia on Saturday, Pocognoli knew his first assignment on home soil would represent a significant step up.

Switzerland, ranked 14th in the world, arrived as Nations League Group B1 favourites and boasted a formidable qualification record that included a run to the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 1954 earlier this summer.

The Swiss were without two of their most experienced players, captain Granit Xhaka and striker Breel Embolo, both absent amid an investigation involving fake Covid vaccination certificates.

But backed by around 400 travelling supporters in Glasgow, they did not look short of quality on their visit to Mount Florida. Scotland sat deep and allowed their opponents to move the ball around with confidence from the outset. The pressure quickly told.

In the ninth minute, Dan Ndoye burst away from Hendry and found himself clean through on goal before the defender pushed the Nottingham Forest striker blatantly in the back. Hendry was initially shown a yellow card before it was upgraded to a red after a lengthy VAR check for the denial of a clear goalscoring opportunity, leaving the hosts with 10 men and Switzerland with a free-kick right on the edge of the penalty area.

Just 60 seconds later, the ball was in the net as veteran full-back Ricardo Rodriguez stepped up and produced a superb free-kick, bending the ball past the outstretched Angus Gunn into the top corner.

Yet Pocognoli's side showed admirable resilience for the remainder of the first half. Aston Villa’s Johan Manzambi drilled narrowly wide after turning smartly on the edge of the box, while Zeki Amdouni tested Gunn with a fierce effort. The Scotland No.1 was then forced into another save to deny Ndoye low to his right.

There were occasional signs of life from the home side. Oli McBurnie drove towards the Swiss penalty area before going to ground under pressure, but referee Nenad Minakovic waved play on. The home fans were furious, although television replays suggested the Scotland forward had lost his balance.

Pocognoli himself was booked shortly after by the Serbian whistler for something he said to the officials, adding to the growing irritation in the stands, and there were a smattering of boos at the interval.

Scotland could at least take some encouragement from the way they had limited Switzerland to just a few opportunities after the early setback, but that resistance did not last after the restart as the visitors doubled their lead in the 55th minute with a beautifully constructed move.

Ndoye delivered a raking cross from the right and Nico Elvedi timed his run to perfection before applying a smart finish. It was the kind of flowing attack Scotland had struggled to contain throughout the evening.

From there, the visitors took complete control. Scotland could barely land a blow as the Swiss patiently exchanged passes and repeatedly opened gaps in the tiring Scots defence.

Ndoye was sent through again in the 66th minute, forcing Gunn to save with an outstretched foot, before Fabian Rieder curled an effort towards the top corner that narrowly missed.

The third goal arrived eight minutes from time. Amdouni unleashed a powerful rising strike which appeared to be heading straight at Gunn, only for the ball to go through the Scotland goalkeeper's hands and nestle in the net.

By then, Hampden was emptying quickly as fans made their way to the exits. There was one late reprieve when ex-Rangers forward Cedric Itten headed into the net in the 89th minute, but the goal was disallowed after the ball was deemed to have gone out of play.

The final whistle confirmed a comprehensive Swiss victory. For Pocognoli, it was a far different home debut from the one he would have envisaged. Switzerland ultimately had too much quality and control against an opponent forced to play with a man light for more than 80 minutes.

The defeat also extended Scotland's worrying run in front of goal, ensuring it was a third successive match without scoring, following World Cup defeats by Morocco and Brazil after the stalemate in Ljubljana at the weekend.

We take a look at how each Scotland player fared: