Scotland vs Switzerland: Hendry's red card left Hampden in Swiss hands

Scotland were beaten 0-3 by Switzerland at Hampden after J. Hendry was sent off in the 11th minute for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity. The referee first showed a yellow card and pointed to the spot, but VAR corrected the decision to a free kick and a red card. Ricardo Rodríguez then curled the resulting free kick in from the edge of the box in the 12th minute.

Switzerland had already taken control

The dismissal did not create the imbalance on its own, it accelerated it. Switzerland had 75 per cent possession in the first half and kept Scotland pinned back before the break. The first goal came almost immediately after the red, and Nico Elvedi added the second in the 55th minute from Dan Ndoye's low cross.

Zeki Amdouni finished the job in the 82nd minute, again from a Ndoye assist. Ndoye ended up with two assists in the match, and his involvement in the opening incident set the tone for the rest of the night.

Scotland's damage and the Ndoye influence

This was a miserable start for Sebastien Pocognoli in charge of Scotland, with his side taking just one point and scoring no goals from their opening two Nations League fixtures. Switzerland were already strong enough to take the game away, but the red card gave them a route that Scotland never closed.

Murat Yakin's side were sharper around the box and more decisive once the chance arrived. Ndoye's two assists, Rodríguez's early free kick and the late finish from Amdouni all came after Scotland were reduced to 10 men, and that was enough to turn a tight contest into a comfortable away win.

The next meeting with Scotland vs Switzerland does not need any hidden lesson. Hendry's dismissal in the 11th minute, the 75 per cent first-half possession and the three Swiss goals already tell the story.