It was a major warning, but Scotland responded immediately. McGinn was bundled over but the referee waved play on, and Jakub Jankto cut the ball back for Schick whose powerful drive was smartly dealt with by Marshall at his near post. Scotland looked crisp in possession and sharp to loose balls, while their opponents took time to settle. John McGinn burgled Tomas Kalas and had a sight of goal on the angle, but the defender recovered quickly to force a corner, which was easily cleared. Indeed it was all Scotland early on, as the Czechs struggled to get out of their own half. Despite this setback, Scotland started brightly with some neat early link-up play between Christie and Robertson nearly fashioning a chance in the opening minutes. Tierney's absence was at first glance a massive deflation for Scottish hopes, given his form for Arsenal this season and his attacking drive from the back. Marshall started in goal ahead of Craig Gordon, while in midfield Callum McGregor missed out on his 28th birthday to Stuart Armstrong, with Ryan Christie preferred to Che Adams as the chief support for Dykes. Scotland suffered a huge blow before kick-with the news that Arsenal defender Tierney was ruled out, as Liam Cooper started in defence alongside Grant Hanley and Jack Hendry. The national anthem was spine tingling - the main concern was whether the Scottish players could channel their emotions into producing a positive result. The years of hurt following numerous failed qualification campaigns were forgotten as the Tartan Army roared their approval at the sight of their heroes during the warm-up, whilst the Czechs were roundly booed. This was the largest crowd to attend a match in Scotland since the suspension of football last March due to Covid-19, and those lucky enough to be present made the grand old stadium rock with noise from over an hour before kick-off. The defeat proved to be a major let down after the raucous build-up, 23 years on from the men's national team's last game at a major tournament. Scotland must now recover and prepare to travel to Wembley to face England on Friday, when the Czech Republic face Croatia at Hampden - but already it looks a difficult task for Clarke's side to qualify for the last 16. The Czechs should have scored more than just two Schick could have had a hat-trick, and Marshall made a stunning save from Michael Krmencik late on, as they cruised comfortably to the top of Group D. Image: Scotland's David Marshall is beaten by Patrik Schick's long range curling to make it 2-0 to the Czech Republic

Patrik schick goal vs scotland