Pocognoli's Scotland undone by early Hendry red at Hampden against Switzerland

Sebastien Pocognoli's first home match as Scotland coach ended in defeat at Hampden on Tuesday after Jack Hendry was sent off early, leaving Scotland a man down and without a goal for a fourth consecutive match.

Supporters had come to Hampden to welcome the new coach, but Scotland's fragile start and defensive error returned the fixture to familiar problems. Switzerland, ranked 14th in the world, carried the composure and quality that comes from recent strong results; their coach, Murat Yakin, was described in the report as possessing the calm authority of a man who knows his team will prevail, and the piece notes Switzerland had been beaten by Argentina only in extra-time at the World Cup and had overcome Germany 4-3 in a friendly with the winner arriving in the 85th minute.

Hendry was at the centre of the decisive early moment when a foot-rush and mismatch allowed Dan Ndoye to race clear, and the defender's attempt to grab Ndoye ended in a sending-off. The report says Ndoye was always winning the race and that Hendry "reaching out to grab Ndoye was a fatal act." Captain Andy Robertson reflected on the split-second nature of such decisions, saying: "Football is about split-second decisions ... but the red card killed us."

The dismissal led directly to a free-kick and an early goal, and the account questions Angus Gunn's role with Ricardo Rodriguez's strike, noting it "flew in on the goalkeeper's side of the wall and he didn't lay a glove on it." Kieron Bowie was substituted in the immediate aftermath of the red card and his night ended prematurely as a consequence.

Scotland responded energetically after going down to ten men, with John McGinn drawing fouls and Oli McBurnie working hard in what McGinn called a "thankless task." The crowd had brief moments of encouragement, but Switzerland managed Scotland's enthusiasm and waited to deliver further decisive strikes later in the match. Pocognoli said the squad had been "so excited to start the first page of the book at home," a description that contrasted with the result.

A second goal and then a third followed for Switzerland; the report states, "A second goal didn't flatter them. Neither did a third." The narrative adds that the tie was a huge task at 11 v 11 and became effectively over once Scotland reduced to ten men inside 11 minutes.

There were a few positives noted: Luis Binks defended well on his debut, Stephen Welsh came on after the red card and "performed admirably again," and the writer suggested Bowie had been "robbed of his evening" and "will surely be given a proper chance in Skopje." The piece also argued the McBurnie-Bowie combination deserved an opportunity after being split up in the Hampden match, and mentioned Ben Gannon-Doak as a potential option given his pace.

Scotland travel to Skopje on Saturday to face North Macedonia, who were beaten 3-0 by Switzerland last weekend and lost 2-0 to Slovenia on Tuesday. The report states North Macedonia are winless in 10 games, have scored two goals in that run and have conceded four against Turkey, four against Denmark and seven against Wales.