Ché Adams scored the only goal as Scotland finished their Euro 2020 preparations with a 1-0 win over 10-man Luxembourg.
The only goal came in the first half, where Luxembourg also lost Vahid Selimovic to a red card which dampened the game as a contest.
It was a relatively straight-forward afternoon’s work for the Scots, who begin their tournament campaign against Czech Republic at Hampden Park a week tomorrow.
Scotland had plenty of time on the ball and frequent crosses into the box, without being able to add to their lead further.
Steve Clarke made seven changes from the team which drew 2-2 with the Netherlands on Wednesday night, with Scott McTominay, Adams, Stephen O’Donnell, David Marshall, Grant Hanley, Declan Gallagher and John McGinn all drafted in.
After travelling to Faro for the friendly with the Dutch, they relocated to the Stade Josy Barthel for their final warm-up game, the scene of Rangers’ infamous Europa League defeat to Progres Niederkorn in 2017.
Luxembourg threatened to get their own scalp underway early with a header from Selimovic from a corner, which Marshall had to claw away from inside his post.
Andy Robertson’s deliveries proved decisive against the Dutch and they almost did again here, with Lyndon Dykes meeting his cross with a header which came back off the post on 15 minutes.
After a period of patience and a near-miss from Adams, the Southampton striker got his radar right to give Scotland the lead.
It was his strike-partner Dykes who fashioned the opening, carrying the ball across the Luxembourg defence and feeding Adams to slide in under goalkeeper Anthony Moris.
Adams stayed at Scotland’s training camp base in Alicante for Wednesday’s game but on his fourth cap, showed promising signs of a developing partnership with Dykes.
The 24-year-old scored five times in the final 11 games of the season and has shown little trouble adjusting to international football since declaring for Scotland in March.
The visitors were handed a further lift before the break, with Selimovic given a straight red card for bringing down Dykes when he was through on goal. McTominay was unable to profit though, curling the free-kick over the top.
GOAL! Luxembourg 0-1 Scotland
Che Adams opens the scoring for #SCO
📺 Watch live on Sky Sports Football
📱 Updates 👉 https://t.co/xNTRpqYRWK
📲 Download the @SkySports app pic.twitter.com/JGDmTYTPfi— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) June 6, 2021
The man advantage allowed Scotland to dominate possession of the ball but also turned the game into a training exercise, with Luxembourg retreating to their own penalty area.
Billy Gilmour was brought on at half-time, alongside Scott McKenna, with Gallagher and Callum McGregor making way.
Chelsea midfielder Gilmour, who won his first cap against Holland five days after winning the Champions League, had been tipped for a start in this game and sought to make an impression immediately.
Picking the ball up 35 yards from goal, Gilmour advanced through Luxembourg’s midfield and squeezed a shot away from the edge of the box, which Moris diverted round the post.
Clarke’s side were trying to make the most of the wide areas, with Kieran Tierney often in support of Robertson down the left-hand side.
A cut-back from Arsenal man Tierney picked out McGinn at the edge of the box, with his deflected shot requiring a tip wide from Moris.
Dykes was proving a nuisance for the home defence, with both his link-up play and aerial presence. He held off defensive efforts to dispossess him and free space for Gilmour, who drew a near-post save out of Moris.
While it never threatened to turn into an uncomfortable evening for Scotland, there were enough chances to win by a greater margin. That may matter little to Clarke though, with the majority of players getting minutes over the two games and no major injury scares.
Billy Gilmour starts next week for @ScotlandNT 👏
— Charlie Adam (@Charlie26Adam) June 6, 2021
There was some worry over Gilmour, who was clattered by Olivier Thill in an aerial challenge moments after the Luxembourg man came on. The substitute was fortunate to only see yellow, while Gilmour was withdrawn as a precaution for James Forrest.
Dykes had a further header wide from a Ryan Fraser cross, while Nathan Patterson impressed in a relief role off the bench.
Clarke and his coaching staff can now turn their attention to the important business: Scotland’s first major tournament appearance in 23 years.
Luxembourg (4-4-1-1) – Moris 6; Jans 6, Selimovic 4, Mahmutovic 5, Goncalves Pinto 5, Rodrigues 6, Skenderovic 5 (Da Mota 84), Carlson 5, Sinani 5 (O. Thill 72), S. Thill 6 (Martins 84), Deville 5 (Bohnert 64). Subs not used – Schon, Fox, Korac, Phillipps, Veiga, Curci, Dzogovic.
Scotland (3-4-1-2) – Marshall 6; Hanley 6, Gallagher 6 (McKenna 46), Tierney 7, O’Donnell 6 (Patterson 64), McTominay 6, McGregor 6 (Gilmour 46 (Forrest 76)), Robertson 7 (Fraser 64), McGinn 6, Dykes 7 (Nisbet 82), Adams 7. Subs not used – McLaughlin, Gordon, Hendry, Cooper, Taylor, Armstrong, Turnbull, Christie.
Referee – Eldorjan Hamiti (Albania) 6.
Man of the match – Lyndon Dykes.