Ruud awakening for Scots

Holland 6 Scotland 0

Ruud van Nistelrooy helped himself to a hat-trick and Wesley Sneijder claimed the opening goal and three assists in a one-sided encounter.

Scotland arrived with a 1-0 first-leg lead in this Euro 2004 qualifying play-off but despite a huge travelling support they provided little threat to Holland, who will now go to Portugal for next summer's finals.

The thrashing threatened to match Scotland's biggest-ever defeat 7-0 by Uruguay in 1954 and would have done so had a late Sneijder effort not hit a post.

Scotland manager Berti Vogts made just one enforced change to the side that had triumphed on Saturday, swapping the suspended Christian Dailly for Gavin Rae in midfield.

Dick Advocaat made four changes with Frank de Boer, his nation's most-capped player, unceremoniously dropped.

A complete tactical change saw Wilfrid Bouma and Michael Reiziger join Andre Ooijer in a three-man back line, with Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Patrick Kluivert also jettisoned.

It took Holland just 14 minutes to wipe away that first-leg deficit.

Sneijder and Rafael van der Vaart were new additions to the starting line-up and the latter had headed a fine cross from Andy van der Meyde just over before his Ajax team-mate fired a low drive past Douglas from outside the box.

Sneijder was the supplier for the two other goals before half-time with both coming from free-kicks conceded by Jackie McNamara on Marc Overmars.

Ooijer ran in behind Steven Pressley to head past Douglas from close range to put Holland ahead on aggregate in the 32nd minute and van Nistelrooy was unchallenged when he headed home from further out five minutes later.

That left Scotland chasing two away goals but Lee Wilkie, the defensive star of the first leg, gave an indication of how it might be done. Twice he was on the end of free kicks from Darren Fletcher but his first header found the side-netting and his second was parried by Edwin van der Sar.

Scotland had been second best but had not been lacking in passion as their four first-half bookings showed.

Barry Ferguson was cautioned in the fourth minute, as was van Nistelrooy, for a tussle that also involved Gavin McCann.

Pressley was booked in the 10th minute for a hefty challenge on Edgar Davids and Paul Dickov mis-timed a challenge on Bouma to join him seven minutes later.

Gary Naysmith was the fourth man, receiving a 44th-minute yellow card for a foul on van Nistelrooy.

Vogts made changes at the break with Stevie Crawford replacing Dickov and Maurice Ross going on for Naysmith, with McNamara reverting to left-sided defender in a three-man back line.

De Boer went on for Ooijer at the same time and the new half was just a minute old when Davids was booked for diving when Wilkie slid in.

Holland's fourth arrived in the 51st minute when van der Vaart sent van Nistelrooy through and the striker lofted the ball effortlessly over the advancing Douglas, evading Pressley's desperate attempt to clear.

Van der Vaart fired just wide as Holland attempted to inflict more damage on their wounded prey.

In the 63rd minute Scotland sent Kenny Miller on for McCann but a minute later it was 5-0 when de Boer, the defensive weak link in the first game, rose above Rae to head in a Sneijder corner and give the Ajax man a trio of assists to go with his goal.

Van Nistelrooy completed his hat-trick in the 66th minute when Reiziger won a duel with McNamara to set up van der Meyde on the right. His low ball across goal evaded Wilkie and van Nistelrooy had a simple chance.

Kluivert went on for him soon after and forced a save out of Douglas before Sneijder hit the woodwork with a curling effort.

HOLLAND: Van der Sar, Ooijer (De Boer 46), Reiziger, Bouma (Seedorf 67), Van der Meyde, Van der Vaart, Cocu, Sneijder, Davids, Overmars, van Nistelrooy (Kluivert 76).

SCOTLAND: Douglas, McNamara, Pressley, Wilkie, Naysmith (Ross 46), Fletcher, Ferguson, McCann (Miller 62), Rae, McFadden, Dickov (Crawford 45).

Ref: Michel Lubos (Slovakia).