How the Scotland players rated last night

Busy in early stages and brilliantly tipped former Rangers team-mate Georgios Efrem’s shot on to the bar. Not so clever on the Cyprus goal, when Christofi’s strike was within reach but went under the goalkeeper’s arm. 7/10

Steven Whittaker

Made some good forward bursts and was reasonably comfortable at the back.7

Phil Bardsley

Looked uncomfortable from the start, when he called on the physios to rearrange strapping on his ankle. Normally reliable left-back was caught out on his inside for the goal in what represented a basic error. Looked bewildered as he was rounded in an attack that should have been anticipated. 5

Christophe Berra

A shaky opening spell but delivered a superb diagonal ball to set up Kenny Miller’s goal and improved as the match went on. 6

Gary Caldwell

Put in a great block as Cyprus threatened at 1-0 and was generally solid at the back, providing protection for his goalkeeper. 6

Darren Fletcher

Too many loose touches in the anchor role put Scotland in trouble early on. Made way for james McArthur midway through the second half. 5

Don Cowie

Got into some decent positions without being able to capitalise, but showed up well during the link-up play. 6

James Morrison

Broke forward well from central midfield positions to assist attacks, and showed a good eye for a pass. 7

Barry Robson

A solid if unspectacular performance from the wide man in a rare Scotland start. Took the brunt of a crude heavy challenge as he attacked down the right in the first half. 6

Jamie Mackie

Looked a bit rusty at the start, understandably, as he continues his comeback from a broken leg but grew in confidence and made excellent dribbling runs into the box, one producing a goal from the unlikely starting position of the left touchline. His close control was an encouraging feature of the match for Scotland. 7

Kenny Miller

Scored his 16th and best international goal with a brilliant touch and volley to get Scotland on track. Miller’s first touch is not always his strength, but on this occasion the Cardiff City striker brought down a long ball perfectly and almost in the same movement despatched an unstoppable shot beyond the goalkeeper with a sublime strike that travelled in a looping arc into the top corner. 7

SUBSTITUTES

James McArthur

Replaced Fletcher in the 64th minute and kept Scotland tight in central midfield with an efficient performance. 5

Craig Mackail-Smith

Made some positive bursts into the channels after coming on for Miller up front in the 64th minute in a like-for-like switch but could not find an end product. Went agonisingly close in the dying minutes but could not put away a rebound from a long-range Rhodes shot. 5

Stephen Crainey

Came on for Phil Bardsley after 73 minutes and ensured that Scotland remained steady in the closing stages of the games, taking few risks with possession. 5

Craig Conway

Worked hard to get into the game after replacing Robson for the last 10 minutes, and was prominent in his attempts to support any late Scotland attacks. 5

Jordan Rhodes

Looked lively up front but only had three minutes on his debut as Scotland finally fielded two men in attack. Was eager to make an impact and found time to unleash a 25-yard shot which goalkeeper Kissas pushed out. Manager Levein will be glad to have given an international debut to an English-born player who qualifies to play for Scotland on account of five years’ schooling north of the border – although in theory he can still switch allegiance to the land of his birth until he has played in a competitive international for Scotland. First Huddersfield Town player to represent Scotland since Denis Law in 1958. 5