Sebastien Pocognoli endured a difficult first match at Hampden as Scotland fell to a 3-0 Nations League defeat against Switzerland after playing most of the contest with 10 men.
The new Scotland head coach had begun his tenure with a goalless draw away to Slovenia, but his first home appearance quickly unravelled following a dramatic early incident involving Jack Hendry.
Dan Ndoye broke clear of the Scotland defence and was brought down by Hendry as the Switzerland forward closed in on goalkeeper Angus Gunn. Referee Nenad Minakovic initially awarded a penalty and showed Hendry a yellow card, but a lengthy VAR review changed both decisions.
The foul was ruled to have taken place outside the penalty area, resulting in a free-kick, while Hendry’s caution was upgraded to a red card.
Scotland were immediately punished. Ricardo Rodriguez stepped up and drove the resulting free-kick beyond Gunn to give Switzerland the lead.
Pocognoli responded by withdrawing striker Kieron Bowie and introducing Stephen Welsh, who had started on the bench after Luis Binks was handed his international debut.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, Scotland remained organised for the rest of the first half and managed to limit a Swiss side missing Granit Xhaka and Breel Embolo.
Their resistance ended 10 minutes after the restart. Ndoye created space down the flank before delivering for Nico Elvedi, with the Leeds United defender finishing to double Switzerland’s advantage.
The second goal effectively ended Scotland’s hopes of recovering. Switzerland controlled the closing stages before Zeki Amdouni added a third, prompting many home supporters to leave Hampden before the final whistle.
The defeat leaves Scotland with one point from their opening two Nations League fixtures and third in Group B1.