MATT RITCHIE'S first goal for Scotland gave Gordon Strachan's side a 1-0 win over Qatar in the Vauxhall International challenge match at Easter Road - and a boost ahead of next week's crucial Euro 2016 qualifier in Dublin.
The Bournemouth winger, earning his third cap, drove in from the edge of the box just before the end of a first half the home side had controlled without sparkling.
Striker Steven Naismith hit the post before the break with one of several attempts and, while there were other close calls before the full-time whistle, there were no further goals. And as a game scheduled as a warm-up for the European Championship Group D qualifier against Republic of Ireland at the Aviva Stadium on June 13, the Scotland boss will regard it as beneficial.
As expected, Strachan did not start with a full-strength team.
Derby defender Craig Forsyth was earning his third cap while Charlie Mulgrew, who only returned at the end of the season for Celtic after a hamstring tendon injury had kept him out since December, was partnered with Gordon Greer in central defence.
Hoops winger James Forrest was back in the side and skipper Scott Brown was the third Celtic player in the team which had winger Ikechi Anya in the unfamiliar right-back position and Steven Naismith leading the line.
There had been calls by some Scotland fans for a boycott of the match because of human rights concerns for workers building stadiums in Qatar for the 2022 World Cup, but a crowd of 14,279 turned up to witness a decent first half from the home side.
Naismith had two early attempts, the first a low drive saved comfortably by Amine Lecomte then a lofted effort tipped over the bar by the keeper with Mulgrew heading Shaun Maloney's corner wide.
The Scots kept pressing and Ritchie missed a decent chance at the back post from a Forsyth cross with a volley which hit the side-netting.
Maloney was then denied by a great recovery slide tackle from defender Ahmed Yasser as he threatened to burst into the Qatar box.
However, four minutes from the interval, seconds after a streaker had been escorted off the pitch by stewards, Ritchie pounced on the ball after Naismith's pass had broken off a defender and drilled the ball low past Lecomte from 18 yards.
The hosts almost doubled their lead seconds before half-time when a clever James McArthur lob put Naismith in but the Everton attacker hit the outside of the post.
It was proving to be a luckless night for Naismith as he headed a Ritchie corner past the post in the 50th minute, before he was tackled in the box by Abdelkarim Hassan and collided with the Qatar goalkeeper as he set himself to convert Maloney's perfectly weighted through-ball.
Shouts for a penalty were ignored by Belgian referee Sebastien Delferiere.
The former Rangers player required treatment before carrying on but missed another chance moments later and was then replaced by Leigh Griffiths, with Charlie Adam and Darren Fletcher also coming on as the substitutions mounted.
The tempo of the game dipped with the numerous changes disrupting the flow, although a fine block by Anya in the 71st minute prevented substitute keeper Craig Gordon - on for David Marshall at the break - being tested by Abdelkarim Hassan's drive.
The Celtic goalkeeper did have to turn a more than useful shot from Khalid round his near post for a corner as the Scots' defence was stretched again.
It was a disjointed Scottish side which finished the game, although substitute Johnny Russell - on for Forrest - forced a decent save from Lecomte with a flick from six yards and missed a good chance after being set up by Griffiths, who was ruled offside after turning a shot from Adam into the net.
Attention will now turn to Ireland on Saturday week, where the stakes will be much higher.
