Japan strike late to beat Scotland at Hampden

Junya Ito’s late goal gave Japan a 1-0 win over Scotland in Steve Clarke’s side’s first 2026 World Cup warm-up game.

Clarke’s players left the Barclays Hampden pitch to euphoric scenes in November after their dramatic 4-2 win over Denmark qualified them for the finals in North America but their return to the national stadium was a much more sedate event.

Both sides hit woodwork in the first half but Hajime Moriyasu’s side created more opportunities after the break and substitute Ito shot past keeper Angus Gunn in the 84th minute to break the deadlock and leave Scotland winless in four meetings against Japan.

Scotland take on Ivory Coast at Everton’s Hill Dickinson stadium on Tuesday night and they have two more warm-up games against Curacao and an as yet unnamed opponent before they take to the biggest stage of all for the first time in 28 years in the USA – where they face Haiti, Morocco and Brazil in their group.

Junya Ito opens up the scoring for Japan. #BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/09NndR4prk

— BBC Sport Scotland (@BBCSportScot) March 28, 2026

If there was a sense of anti-climax about the game against Japan, the Tartan Army will no doubt see a more energised home side when it matters this summer.

Middlesborough striker Tommy Conway was handed his first start while skipper Andy Robertson was earning his 91st cap to go second-equal with former Aberdeen and Manchester United goalkeeper Jim Leighton.

Celtic’s Daizen Maeda, Japan’s captain, was the most familiar face to the Tartan Army.

The visitors, on their way to their eighth successive World Cup finals, survived an early fright.

In the eighth minute Scott McTominay had a terrific chance to open the scoring when fellow midfielder John McGinn teed him up with a cross