Switzerland defeat ten-man Scotland 3-0 in Nations League after early Hendry dismissal

Early dismissal and opening goal

Switzerland secured a 3-0 victory against Scotland at Hampden Park on Tuesday in their second UEFA Nations League fixture. Scotland head coach Sébastien Pocognoli suffered a defeat in his first home match since replacing Steve Clarke in August 2026. The contest turned in the 11th minute when Scottish defender Jack Hendry was sent off for denying Dan Ndoye a goalscoring opportunity as the Swiss forward broke clear. Referee Nenad Minakovic initially awarded a penalty and showed Hendry a yellow card, but a video assistant referee review established that the foul occurred just outside the penalty area, resulting in an upgraded straight red card.

Ricardo Rodriguez took the resulting 12th-minute free kick, driving the ball past Scotland goalkeeper Angus Gunn into the net. The goal ended a 65-match scoring drought for the 34-year-old Torino defender, who earned his 146th international cap. Rodriguez described the early sequence after the match.

“The red card with the subsequent goal was the perfect start. That made it a lot more comfortable for us.”

Swiss control and second-half strikes

Operating with a player advantage for 78 minutes, Switzerland controlled possession under manager Murat Yakin. Ndoye remained central to the Swiss attack throughout the match, setting up both second-half goals after earning the early free kick. In the 55th minute, ten minutes into the second half, Nico Elvedi met a cross from Ndoye on the right flank to tap in Switzerland's second goal. The Leeds United defender scored hours before his 30th birthday on 30 September.

Switzerland added a third goal in the 81st minute when Burnley forward Zeki Amdouni capitalized on Scotland's failure to clear their defensive lines. Amdouni scored for the second consecutive match, having previously recorded two goals in Switzerland's 3-0 win against North Macedonia in League B on Saturday. Scotland created few chances, with their best opportunity arriving when Andy Robertson crossed toward Oliver McBurnie, only for Elvedi to clear the ball out for a corner.

Scotland attacking drought and group standings

The result extended an offensive drought for Scotland, who have now failed to score in four consecutive matches for the first time since 1971. Pocognoli's team have also failed to find the net in six of their nine fixtures in 2026 and remain without a clean sheet in eight consecutive home matches at Hampden Park. Pocognoli reflected on the difficulty of managing the match after the early dismissal.

“It's not easy against a good team to be with 10 men. It will be more about the reaction. We had an unlucky red card, punished with the free-kick, that's the worst scenario. The guys did the best they could and hopefully we will remember this night differently later on.”

Following a 0-0 draw away to Slovenia in Ljubljana on Saturday and Tuesday's home defeat, Scotland sit third in their Nations League group after two matches. Switzerland lead the group after consecutive 3-0 victories. Scotland travel to face bottom-placed North Macedonia on Saturday before hosting Slovenia in Glasgow on Tuesday.