Euro Qualifier - Scotland 1 - 0 Republic of Ireland

Defensive errors were to blame as Ireland suffered defeat in Euro 2016 qualifying for the first time.

A catalogue of errors starting with Seamus Coleman and Richard Keogh running into each other before the whole team switched off at a corner meant Shaun Maloney could net the winner for Gordon Strachan’s Scotland.

It was a frantic affair that is so typical of a derby but it was the Scots that edged it on a tense night at Celtic Park.

Martin O’Neill dealt a major shock to the watching world as Robbie Keane didn’t start a competitive international for the first time in 13 years.

And it was a risk that looked like an educated one early on when Shane Long pounced on a defensive mistake before being hacked down resulting in Grant Hanley being shown a yellow card when it could well have been red.

It was then Aiden McGeady’s turn to go into the book with a poor tackle on Steven Fletcher and that summed up the winger’s night as he failed to find that creative spark that Ireland were desperately missing throughout.

The mixture of boos and celebration of the Scottish-born Irishman echoed the stadium throughout the game as neither side could find a shot on goal.

Jeff Hendrick was the next man in the book and, like Hanley, he could have seen red for a rash tackle that caught Norwich full back Steven Whittaker high.

Early in the second half came Ireland’s best chance so far as McGeady beat his man for the one and only time on the night and delivered a cross to the head of Jonathan Walters but the Stoke man couldn’t hit the back of the net.

The game continued in the passionate and fiery manner but it was Scotland who took the lead on 78 minutes.

After poor defending, Scotland won a corner and the Irish defence switched off allowing Maloney to play a neat one-two with Scott Brown who backheeled into the Malaysian born winger’s path and he curled past David Forde and into the back of the net.

O’Neill threw on Robbie Keane as they chased an equaliser and thought they had it when Hanley headed off his own cross bar but Scotland saw out to take the three points.