CHRIS Iwelumo had better brace himself. Stick like he's never known is coming his way. Notoriety like he couldn't have envisaged. Poor guy. Today, tomorrow, next week, next year and for many years after that we're going to be talking about what he did here, the moment of jaw-dropping profligacy that saw him fail to convert the sitter to beat all sitters, the mother of all sitters, the über-sitter.
With 64 minutes gone, Scotland were finally showing some signs of life in a game that was, up to that point, dominated by the Norwegians and by John Carew in particular. George Burley had changed his system around by then, Iwelumo and Steven Fletcher forming a two-man frontline where previously only one (James McFadden) had been. The restructure gave them impetus, for sure, and then it gave them a gift of a chance, wrapped in a pretty bow and presented on a silver salver.
Gary Naysmith went galloping up the left before sliding a ball into Norway's six-yard box, populated by Iwelumo and nobody else. The stadium looked to the linesman but his flag stayed down. The stadium looked to Iwelumo who had a two yard tap-in for glory. He went at it with all the grace of an octopus falling out of a tree, attempting to put it in with his right in-step but putting it high and wide. It was a deeply dramatic moment of profound misery for the debutant. It was mortifying for Burley, too. Iwelumo's introduction into the squad has been his big idea so far, his pet project. Putting him into the action ahead of Kris Boyd was a call few people would have made. Burley made it and it cost him.
Some context here, though. Scotland would have gotten away with murder had they won this. In truth, a draw flattered them, not that anybody should be grateful for that. A point is the absolute most they deserved but it was precious little use towards World Cup qualification, which is now looking like it might be too tall an order for Burley's men to deliver. Say Scotland do eventually scramble their way into runners-up spot in the group. The way things are going, the runner-up from this pool will be the one team to miss out on the play-offs. A grim day all-round. Burley is on the back foot once more.
It was a day that was anxious right from the start. Burley went for a 4-1-4-1 formation, McFadden up on his own, Scott Brown playing in the hole behind the midfield. Brown did well, McFadden hardly got a kick. As the first half wore on, the road to the World Cup seemed to stretch out longer and longer. Every time Carew got the ball, which was often, a stadium held its breath. Carew was played in behind the Scotland defence repeatedly. From the ninth minute, when Steffen Iversen put him through and Gary Caldwell just about managed to put him off, the big Aston Villa striker was a gargantuan nuisance.
Carew forced a save out of Gordon soon after and more danger followed. He had a small sniff just before the half-hour but couldn't get a decent shot away and with five minutes of the half remaining yet more ball was fed into him, via the head of Fredrik Stromstad. His header came in from the left and if it wasn't for Weir being alert then Carew would surely have scored. As it was, the Rangers defender made enough of a pest of himself to harry Carew into shooting tamely at Gordon.
There wasn't a lot happening for Scotland. Too many misplaced passes to mount any kind of pressure. No tempo to their game, no goal threat, too many players, like the pedestrian Darren Fletcher, just not at the races. James Morrison had a half-chance from a header at Norway's back post but that was the size of it. Small comfort for Burley. Minuscule comfort.
The new half brought a galvanised Hampden and the kind of noise that is the stadium's trademark. And then it brought another chance for Carew, pushed away for a corner by Gordon. For a must-win game, Scotland looked in terrible danger of losing this. That very thought clearly entered Burley's mind as well for as early as the 56th minute he was making significant changes to his team. Off went McFadden and Morrison and on came Iwelumo and Fletcher.
Scotland immediately began to play with purpose. Shaun Maloney, who had been a silent figure, began to do his tricks. It all looked like it was going to come together nicely when Naysmith came tearing in from the left and squared that ball to Iwelumo. God help him, he'll not sleep for a month after his miss. Waves of blue now. Maloney cut inside and thundered a drive wide. Moments later he got a shot away that might have caused Jon Knudsen in the Norway goal some palpitations had it not been for Brede Hangeland getting his to toe to it and putting it out for a corner.
All the time, of course, there was the threat of the sucker-punch, the living nightmare of a Norway winner. Kjetil Waehler could have got it from a diving header off a corner, Iversen should have got it after chesting down a Morten Gamst Pedersen cross and hitting it on the volley, Gordon saving well. Carew thought he'd got it after Weir was caught by the bounce of the ball but the striker fired over. For Scotland, Steven Fletcher was a fraction of an inch from getting it when narrowly failing to connect with Kris Broadfoot's cross.
In the end, nobody got it. Burley's now got five months to stew on things. Five months that will seem like an eternity.
MAN OF THE MATCHJohn Carew was the prickliest of thorns in Scotland's side all day. It's a wonder he didn't score, but he certainly put years on David Weir and Gary Caldwell with his pace and his goal menace.
QUICK FACTGeorge Burley is an attack-minded coach but his team has a poor goal-scoring record. Just two goals in three competitive games now and four in six overall.
TALKING POINTWhat was Chris Iwelumo thinking? How is it possible for a striker who is scoring regularly at club level and is full of confidence to fail to convert from a few yards out. This will bamboozle us for the rest of our days.
KEY MOMENTS
Carew fires early warning (20 mins)
John Carew turns David Weir and bursts past Gary Caldwell. Craig Gordon, however, gets his angles spot on, forcing the Aston Villa striker to shoot across goal. Although Carew's effort is laden with power, the Sunderland stopper beats it away.
Iwelumo's incredible miss (64 mins)
Scott Brown feeds Gary Naysmith and the left-back's low cross takes out Knudsen. Somehow, Iwelumo puts the ball wide from inside the six-yard box, with an open goal gaping.
Iversen blows chance to win it for Norway (85 mins)
Morten Gamst Pedersen evades Brown's challenge and stands up a cross at the back post for an unmarked Steffen Iversen, whose low effort is straight at Gordon. A glorious chance wasted.
Broadfoot's ball missed by everyone (90 mins)
Kirk Broadfoot finds space on the right and plays a delightful ball into the six-yard box. All it needed was a touch, but both Steven Fletcher and Iwelumo fail to connect to score the winning goal.
• Sports writer Andrew Smith will be online for a live discussion of yesterday's match from noon. Click here to join the debate.
The full article contains 1304 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
