Scots draw blank against Norway in World Cup qualifier

2008-10-12 02:48:06 GMT2008-10-12 10:48:06 (Beijing Time) Xinhua English

LONDON, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- Scotland's 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification on Saturday hung in the balance after a goalless draw against Norway at Hampden.

Chris Iwelumo, making his international debut as a second-half substitute, was the villain of the piece as he missed a golden chance to give the Scots a lead from just two yards out.

Despite some late pressure the Scots could not find a way past the Norwegian defence and the draw leaves them struggling to qualify for South Africa just three games into their Group Nine campaign.

"We couldn't quite get that goal," said coach George Burley. "Ithought in the second half that we put them under a lot of pressure. It wasn't working for us in the first half with one up front, so we decided to change."

On Iwelumo's miss, Burley said: "It was just one of those things. I don't know whether he miss-hit it or was a bit flat-footed. One thing is for sure: it was the best chance of the game. They had chances but that was because we were pushing up."

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