Sport 20-11-2003 Sad Night For Scotland and Wales who: Scotland football team what: Thrashed 6-0 by Holland while Wales flop in Cardiff where: Amsterdam when: Last night snippet: "Scotland arrived at the Amsterdam Arena last night in search of a result that would not be readily forgotten," says The Scotsman`s Glenn Gibbons, reporting from the second leg of the Euro 2004 play-off tie, "and achieved their ambition as perversely as only they can." Despite beating Holland 1-0 at Hampden Park in Glasgow last Saturday, the Scots failed to win a place in Portugal next summer after losing 6-0 last night. It only took Wesley Sneijder 13 minutes to cancel out Scotland`s lead, continues Gibbons. "By the time the incomparable Ruud van Nistelrooy had completed his hat-trick and Andre Ooijer and substitute Frank de Boer had made their contributions, humiliation was all the Scots had to show." Meanwhile, in Cardiff`s Millennium Stadium, Wales also failed to capitalise on a promising away leg that had ended in a scoreless draw. The future of manager Mark Hughes now seems in doubt after they lost 0-1 to Russia last night courtesy of a 22nd-minute header by perhaps the most loathed footballer in Wales, right-back Vadim Evseev, who was responsible for a "thuggish tackle on Ryan Giggs in Moscow" last weekend, says The Independent. Later in the same game, Evseev was elbowed in the face by Giggs and Russia tried to get the Welshman banned from the second leg as a result. "Despite repeated attacks in which Giggs hit a post and Gary Speed headed wide, Wales could not find a way through the Russian defence," says The Telegraph. The Guardian`s Michael Walker heaps "a large dollop of frustration" on the Welsh fans, saying they "cannot say they did not have opportunities". [... more]

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