Lapses cost Scotland dear

Austria 2 Scotland

The Scots had led 2-0 at half-time thanks to well-taken strikes from Kenny Miller and Garry O'Connor.

A rare away win looked on the cards but a flurry of substitutions by both sides suited Austria more as replacements Andreas Ibertsberger and Joachim Standfest both found the net to earn the draw.

"I felt we acquitted ourselves really well but I was a bit disappointed with the last 10 minutes of the game," said the Scotland manager Walter Smith. "We allowed them too many shots from outside the box and that cost us a couple of goals."

However, the Scots started the game strongly and scored with their first shot of the game in the third minute, Miller taking the ball round Helge Payer and slotting into an empty net.

Then O'Connor stunned Austria with an opportunist second in the 39th minute, a low drive from the edge of the area which completely wrong-footed the keeper.

Austria pulled one back in the 83rd minute through Ibertsberger, and the home side equalised with three minutes remaining when Rab Douglas could only parry a drive from Andreas Ivanschitz and Standfest was on hand to head home.

Austria (4-4-2): Payer (Schranz, h-t); Gercaliu, Dospel (Standfest, 54), Pogatetz, Ehmann; Aufhauser, Schopp (Ibertsberger, 70), Kuhbauer ( Saumel, 78), Mayrleb (Akagunduz, 66); Ivanschitz, Vastic (Kuljic, 66). Substitute not used: Feldhofer.

Scotland (4-4-2): Gordon (Hearts); Pressley (Hearts), Webster (Hearts), Caldwell (Sunderland), McNamara (Wolves); Dailly (West Ham), O'Neil (Preston), Quashie (Southampton), Alexander (Preston); O'Connor (Hibernian), Miller (Wolves). Substitutes: Douglas (Leicester) for Gordon, h-t; Anderson (Aberdeen) for Pressley, h-t; Severin (Aberdeen) for O'Neil, h-t; Riordan (Hibernian) for Miller, h-t; Hughes (Portsmouth) for Quashie, 78.

Referee: S Dereli (Turkey).