Liechtenstein 0-1 Scotland: Craig Mackail-Smith heads first international goal to keep Scots' Euro 2012 hopes alive

The win puts Scotland a point clear of play-off rivals Czech Republic in second place ahead of their final qualification match against world champions Spain on Tuesday night, meaning Scotland must match the Czech Republic’s result in Lithuania to continue their quest to qualify for a major tournament for the first time since the 1998 World Cup.

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Kenny Miller was the only major absentee from the side after Darren Fletcher was declared fit to play after a bout of tonsillitis. Brighton & Hove Albion striker Mackail-Smith was tasked with filling Miller’s boots in his first competitive start for his adopted country.

Scotland made a positive start to the game, with the pressing of Steven Naismith and Mackail-Smith pinning Liechtenstein back into their own half. Charlie Adam tested the home side’s defence with a series of corners, which they dealt with adequately, before fizzing a ball across goal from the right-hand side that was parried out just out of the reach of the arriving Barry Bannan.

Sir Alex Ferguson claimed Adam was worth £10 million for his set pieces alone and they were in plentiful supply due to the volume of free-kicks conceded by Liechtenstein in their own half. After 11 minutes Naismith almost made one count, peeling off his marker before flicking the Liverpool midfielder’s delivery from deep just wide of the post.

As Liechtenstein settled, though, they began to frustrate Scotland with some neat possession play. After working their way up the field Thomas Beck cut inside virtually unchallenged and rifled a shot from distance that Allan McGregor did very well to turn over his crossbar.

An even better opportunity for the visitors followed shortly after. Bannan received the ball in an offside position but the linesman’s flag stayed down, allowing the Aston Villa midfielder to curl a ball on to the head of Naismith, but he headed weakly at goalkeeper Peter Jehle from six yards out.

Naismith was at the centre of the action again minutes later. His quick pass just evaded Mackail-Smith, who was offside regardless, but the Rangers man took advantage of some lethargic Liechtenstein defending to retrieve it himself before rounding Jehle, only to shoot into the side-netting from a tight angle.

Bannan placed a shot narrowly wide of the post before Scotland finally made the breakthrough just after the half hour mark.

For all their good work moving the ball on the ground, and they did impress in that department, the approach here was somewhat route one. Phil Bardsley dropped a high ball into the box and Mackail-Smith climbed to loop a header past Jehle, who was caught neither claiming the delivery nor protecting his net.

Scotland comfortably saw out the rest of a half they had dominated, but Levein will have no doubt sent them out after the break with the aim of putting the game to bed with a second goal. No man embodied Scotland’s intent more than Alan Hutton, who caused Liechtenstein serious problems with his tireless raids down the right wing.

Hutton twice looked to cross across goal but was thwarted first by the offside flag and second by Jehle, before Bardsley hurled himself at an Adam corner only for his header to fly over the bar as Scotland’s relentless attacks continued.

Perhaps due to the utter absence of any sort of Liechtenstein threat in the first 15 minutes or so of the second half, the tempo of Scotland’s game somewhat faded.

They were given something of a reminder, if not a particularly concerning one, as to the fine margin of their lead when Nicolas Hasler broke from midfield to shoot from the edge of the box, with McGregor making a comfortable save.

Any potential late Liechtenstein fight-back did not materialise, though. Aside from the occasional threat of Beck on the left, a late Naismith header that forced a good save from Jehle was the only real chance of a half which proved to be as uneventful as Scotland could have hoped for.