Scotland signed off from Hampden Park in style, defeating a 10-man Curacao side 4-1 in their final home match before departing for the FIFA World Cup 2026.

The victory was not without its nerves — Curacao drew first blood inside 17 minutes, and Napoli midfielder Billy Gilmour limped off before the break — but the hosts ultimately eased clear through a Findlay Curtis equaliser, a Lawrence Shankland double, and a late Ryan Christie penalty.

Curacao's early shock

The visitors looked anything but makeweights in the opening quarter. Sheffield United's Tahith Chong collected the ball on the halfway line, cut inside John Souttar, and curled a low finish off the far post in the 17th minute to silence Hampden.

Scotland were searching for a response when the contest shifted in the 38th minute. Curacao striker Jurgen Locadia was dismissed for a reckless elbow on Aaron Hickey, reducing the visitors to 10 men — but within two minutes, Gilmour went to ground clutching his knee after playing a routine pass. The Napoli man was withdrawn, replaced by the 19-year-old Curtis.

Curtis and Shankland turn the tide

Curtis wasted no time. With his first touch he controlled, with his second he drove a left-footed finish into the far corner to level matters just before the interval — a composed debut goal that lifted the crowd and altered the tone entirely.

Scotland returned from the break reinvigorated. In the 59th minute, Shankland opened his account from a precisely worked set-piece routine. Four minutes later, he combined with strike partner Lyndon Dykes before firing into the far corner for his sixth international goal — and the Scots' third of the afternoon.

Curtis continued to threaten down the left and earned a late penalty when Sherel Floranus brought him down in the box. With Shankland already off the pitch, Christie stepped up and drove home his 10th international goal to round off the scoring in the 81st minute.

World Cup fitness concern

Steve Clarke's squad fly to the United States on Sunday for Scotland's first FIFA World Cup since 1998. Several regulars — John McGinn, Scott McTominay, Lewis Ferguson, Kieran Tierney, and Che Adams — were rested after club duty last weekend, while Southampton's Ross Stewart was managed carefully with a knee complaint.

The fitness of Gilmour is now the dominant concern ahead of Scotland's group stage opener against Haiti in Boston on June 14. They face Morocco and Brazil in their remaining group matches — two of the tournament's top-10 ranked nations.

For context, their opponents on Saturday will make history of their own: Curacao, managed by 78-year-old former Rangers boss Dick Advocaat, are ranked 82nd in the world and will become the smallest nation — with a population of around 150,000 — ever to compete at a FIFA World Cup. That is one place above Haiti in the world rankings.