Scotland v Serbia as it happened

Thanks for your company - and contributions - this afternoon. So sorry I couldn't hand you a winning start to Scotland's World Cup qualifying campaign. But don't blame me and please don't desert us - or Craig Levein's side. Join us again on Tuesday for the visit of Macedonia. Meanwhile, you can watch the highlights of today's game on BBC One Scotland tonight at 2305 BST.

Listen to post-match reaction: Craig Levein _.....Gary Caldwell .... Kenny Miller

There are certainly a lot of options for Scotland coach Craig Levein ahead of the Macedonia game. Alan Hutton, Steven Naismith, Charlie Adam, James Morrison and Kenny Miller did not live up to their reputations. However, with the pressure on to get a win, it would be difficult to see Morrison or Adam being sacrificed in central midfield. Will Levein bow to Tartan Army pressure and replace Miller with Jordan Rhodes? Watch this space...

Look out for Shaun Maloney and James Forrest starting on Tuesday for the Scots against Macedonia. "Strong feeling" from BBC Scotland's Chick Young after his after-match chat with national coach Craig Levein.

The draw leaves Scotland are already playing catch-up in Group A after hotly-tipped Belgium opened with a 2-0 win in Wales and Croatia scraped a 1-0 at home to Macedonia. The latter are, of course, the visitors to Hampden on Tuesday.

One bright spot was the international debut of Huddersfield Town's Paul Dixon, who was drafted in after a series of call-offs through injury. The former Dundee United man deserved his man of the match award. Another was the form of Allan McGregor, the Besiktas goalkeeper saving Scotland on a couple of occasions to dispel fears that he had not fully recovered from injury.

After all the pre-match hype, it is the same old story for the Scots. So near yet so far after a series of missed chances. Serbia were comfortable on the ball but looked like a team in transition and certainly not one that will top the group. This might be looked back upon as a chance missed similar to the defeat in the Czech Republic in the last European Championship campaign.

Scotland assistant boss Peter Houston had said four points out of six from their opening two fixtures would be satisfying. They will need a victory at Macedonia to win back the Tartan Army after this average display.

James Forrest bursts into the Serbia box following a good ball from fellow sub Jamie Mackie, goalkeeper Vladimir Stojkovic can only parry and Branislav Ivanovic thumps it clear out of the six-yard box. Another chance missed.

Scotland have Allan McGregor to thank for staying level as the goalkeeper comes out to block after Dusan Tadic was put through behind a static defence and attempted a chip over the Besiktas man.

There isn't much at either end to suggest there is going to be a breakthrough.

Striker Dejan Lekic has come on up front for Serbia, with Heerenveen midfielder Filip Djuricic coming off. So it looks like Serbia fancy their chances of stealing a late winner themselves.

Jordan Rhodes and Jamie Mackie come on for James Morrison and Kenny Miller as Scotland coach Craig Levein goes with two men up front.

Jamie Mackie and Jordan Rhodes are both warming up apparently. The Tartan Army could be getting the changes they desire.

How's your nerves? Mine are shot and this is only the first game of the campaign. Typical feeling watching Scotland!

Things are just not happening for Kenny Miller and the veteran striker fails to connect properly with another header from 12 yards after he escapes his marker to meet a Charlie Adam free-kick.

Celtic winger James Forrest comes on for Robert Snodgrass. Perhaps surprising since the Norwich man has performed well, but he has faded in the second half.

Another bad miss for the Scots. Gary Caldwell wins the ball in midfield and puts a fine ball through to Steven Naismith, but the Everton striker flicks it past the goalkeeper and a couple of yards wide of the far post.

That substitution has been made by the way, with Twente Enschede midfielder Dusan Tadic on for striker Danko Lazovic.

Manchester City's rampaging full-back Aleksander Kolarov gathers inside the Scots' penalty box and fires inches wide of the far post as the Serbs take advantage of some hesitant defending.

Kenny Miller misses a glorious chance after another through ball from James Morrison. Miller either mis-judged the looping ball or thought he was offside. Either way, the striker was a yard away from making contact 10 yards from goal.

The chances are coming faster now and a clever flick through from James Morrison puts Kenny Miller clear behind the Serb defence, but Vladimir Stojkovic is out swiftly to block the striker's attempted chip over the goalkeeper.

Dusan Tadic, who was a surprise omission from the Serbian starting line-up, is about to come on as a substitute.

Serbia threaten for the first time in this half, with Werder Bremen midfielder Aleksandar Ignjovski cutting inside Alan Hutton and firing a drive across the face of goal and wide of the far post.

Christophe Berra - almost forgot the Wolves defender was playing - sends a header across the face of goal and Kenny Miller can't react quick enough at the back post following a dangerous Scotland corner.

Back to that half-time change, Milos Mijailovic, the 18-year-old Red Star Belgrade holding midfielder, was replaced with Ljubomir Fejsa of Olympiacos.

The second half kicks-off and the Serbs have made a change at the break. More on that in a minute.

It has been a fairly even first half, perhaps not surprising considering how close the two sides are in the world rankings. Allan McGregor has had only two saves to make and his opposite number just one. The Scots need to see more from the creative talents of James Morrison and Charlie Adam in central midfield to exploit a Serbia defence that has looked a bit suspect.

Suggestions at half time that Scotland forward Steven Naismith was a bit lucky to escape being penalised for a flying elbow during the first half. Will be interesting to see BBC Scotland's highlights programme later tonight.

Matija Nastasic is living dangerously with another tackle that teases Swedish referee Jonas Eriksson to reach for a second yellow card.

Danko Lazovic almost catches out Allan McGregor with a low curling drive through a forest of legs from the edge of the box, but the Scotland goalkeeper backtracks and clutches the striker's effort to his chest.

Right on cue, Charlie Adam pounces on a defensive error and plays a clever first-time pass through to Kenny Miller, but the Vancouver Whitecaps striker's attempted chip over the Serbian goalkeeper from 16 yards loops over the crossbar.

By the way, just in case you are wondering, that glorious sunshine only lasted a matter of minutes at Hampden. It has been overcast since and we are needing something a bit brighter from the Scots to open up the Serbs.

The Serbs have weathered a bit of a mini Scottish storm and are taking control of midfield, slowing the passing down and dominating possession.

Serbia are a team building for the future, with five players of 21 or under in their starting line-up, including Manchester City's 19-year-old summer signing from Fiorentina, Matija Nastasic, in a defence that is looking anything but comfortable.

Danko Lazovic is put through on the Scotland goal but is pulled up by an offside flat. The Zenit St Petersburg striker lashed the effort wide, so he is probably pleased it wouldn't have counted anyway.

Steven Naismith is agonisingly close to reaching a Robert Snodgrass cross into the penalty box as the Scots begin to apply more pressure.

Robert Snodgrass forces Vladimir Stojkovic into a save after the Norwich man jinks into the box and sends a drive from point blank range off the chest of the goalkeeper and wide.

Here's something to warm your cockles. BBC Radio Scotland commentator John Barnes is reminding us that Serbia are on a run one win in 10 matches.

Craig Levein is out on the touchline re-organising in response to Serbia leaving three players up front, a tactic that is leaving the Scots defence in a bit of disarray. But, at the same time, it is leaving the visitors a bit short and exposed at the other end.

Paul Dixon is rising to the challenge of international football with another dangerous cross that is blasted wide for another Scotland corner.

A Paul Dixon cross causes some panic in the Serbia penalty box following a deflection and Aleksander Kolarov has to chest the ball wide for a corner, beating James Morrison to the ball.

Serbia are being adventurous and looking to catch the Scots on the break by leaving three players up front even when they concede corners and free-kicks around the box.

Another let-off for Scotland as goalkeeper Allan McGregor claws the ball away at his near post after Aleksander Kolarov curls the free-kick round the wall.

Let off for the Scots as Christophe Berra is penalised for a bit of jersey pulling. A free-kick is given when it looked yards inside the box.

Scotland are into the Serbia box for the first time and Steven Naismith wins a corner that is held by goalkeeper Vladimir Stojkovic, who lets it slip from his grasp before holding at the second attempt. A bit of nervousness there.

Robert Snodgrass is giving Alan Hutton a few choice words there. Maybe the Norwich man has been told by his former boss Paul Lambert why Hutton has been banished from the first-team squad at Aston Villa!

Glorious sunshine at Hampden as Serbia dominate early possession.

Serbia clapped the Scottish national anthem and then are doing a bit of a Celtic huddle that is holding up kick-off

Where was Amy Macdonald this time for the sing-along-a-Corries?

Craig Levein is singing along to Flower of Scotland looking like a member of the Blues Brothers in his dark glasses.

The teams are out to a typical Hampden roar and the anthems are about to start.

The atmosphere at Hampden is building. Looking like it will be close full to capacity and the stands are beginning to bounce to the sing along inspired by The Proclaimers. Shame it is not a sell-out though!

Allan McGregor had raised doubts about his own fitness ahead of the game. Craig Levein insisted that the goalkeeper was fully fit after making a faster than expected recovery from the injury he picked up against Australia and forced him to miss Besiktas' opening two league fixtures in Turkey. The Scots will hope the former Rangers man is not forced off early this time.

Sunderland's Phil Bardsley, Norwich City's Steven Whittaker and Rangers' Lee Wallace were all ruled out of the original squad through injury. Norwich's Russell Martin, Celtic's Charlie Mulgrew and Southampton's Danny Fox were all subsequently ruled out. So Huddersfield Town's Paul Dixon it is at left-back, with Ricky Foster his back-up man despite having been displaced in the Bristol City starting line-up by their recent signing from Celtic, Mark Wilson.

A Scottish snapper managed to take a photograph of a diagram discarded on the touchline as Serbia trained at Hampden last night, suggesting that coach Sinisa Mihajlovic has targeted the left-hand side of the Scottish defence for special attention. That is hardly a surprise considering the Scots have been hit with a series of injury call-offs in defence in the lead-up to today's game, but Scotland coach Craig Levein is talking postively about Paul Dixon's debut at left-back.

Taking the Scotland armband today will be Gary Caldwell and it is a significant day for the Wigan Athletic defender. He will pick up his 50th cap and is being lined up as the lynchpin in midfield in the absence of the likes of his previously mentioned predecessor, Darren Fletcher. Caldwell admitted yesterday that the holding midfield role is not his favourite as he sees himself as an out-and-out centre-half, but he performed the role fairly well in last month's friendly win over Australia.

Serbia coach Sinisa Mihajlovic, of course, teased the Scots in his pre-match media conference. When asked who was Scotland's biggest dangerman, he laughingly replied: "Fletcher." He was talking about Sunderland's Steven, but he could well have been talking collectively too, with Manchester United midfielder Darren also missing because of his long-term illness. The good news in the long-term is that the former Scotland captain has been named by Sir Alex Ferguson in his 25-man Champions League squad, which could signal the 28-year-old's imminent return.

One of the big talking points has again been the continued absence of Steven Fletcher from the squad. The ongoing rift with Craig Levein returned to sharp focus after the striker's £12m switch from Wolves to Sunderland and his scoring double in his debut. Can Kenny Miller, Jordan Rhodes, or someone else with his shooting boots on ensure we are not talking about the former Hibernian man after today's final whistle?

The Scots are back to the ranking they started with when Craig Levein took over as national coach two years ago. But he made it clear in the lead up to this match that he has a "miles better" squad from which to pick and that he himself is "a much better international manager". What do you think?

Serbia are 42nd in the world, a drop of seven after last night's results, five ahead of the Scots, who have dropped only one. So the side's should be fairly well matched.

The concensus is that no side will run away with Group A and that teams will take points off each other right, left and centre. Scotland assistant Peter Houston thinks four points from the opening two fixtures would be satisfactory. But Belgium's away victory could be particularly crucial even this early and surely puts more onus for the Scots to win their opening two games, both at home today and on Tuesday against Macedonia.

I didn't see the match in Cardiff myself, but some suggested that Chris Coleman's Welsh didn't look too bad themselves despite having to play much of the match against Belgium with 10 men after defender James Collins was sent off after 26 minutes. Certainly they must be the best lowest seeds in any of the groups.

While you are digesting the team news, one media outlet has calculated that the current Belgian starting XI are frighteningly worth nearly £200m, making them many people's Group A favourites despite intially being third seeds. They are the first to admit that they didn't live up to their big-money billing in Wales. But, despite that, they left Cardiff with a 2-0 win thanks to a 42nd-minute Vincent Kompany header and Jan Vertonghen's ferocious free-kick seven minutes from time.

A surprise in the Serbia line-up with Twente Eschede forward Dusan Tadic being left out along with Genclerbirligi striker Dejan Lekic.

The Scotland line-up is as most people had anticipated, with Paul Dixon making his international debut at left-back. Gary Caldwell will play in the holding midfield role, with Snodgrass, Morrison, Adam and Naismith in front of him, in support of the lone striker Kenny Miller.

Croatia, the top seeds in Group A, struggled against Macedonia before one Nikica Jelavic - remember him? - gave their old Yugoslav comrades a 69th-minute kick in the Balkans. Macedonia's Vance Sikov had an effort cleared off the line, while Goran Pandev sent a drive against the crossbar, before Igor Stimac, who has taken over from Slaven Bilic as Croatia coach, changed the course of the match by bringing on Everton's former Rangers striker in place of Eduardo after the break.

Group A opponents Croatia and Belgium have already got off to a flying start after the new switch of most international fixtures to Fridays instead of Saturdays.

The Scots haven't qualified for a major finals since the 1998 World Cup in France and the draw hasn't made it easy for Craig Levein's side to break that run.

The road to Rio starts here. At least that's what the vast majority of the 50,000-odd who will troop to Hampden Park today - and many more glued to their TVs and radios - will be hoping as Craig Levein's Scots begin their World Cup qualifying campaign at home to Serbia.