ALEX McLeish admitted this week that he had been disappointed not to be drafted in to the movie Escape to Victory as an extra when Scotland had played Hungary in Budapest way back in 1980.

He was delighted, though, to depart from the city with the first win of his second spell as manager of the national team last night no matter how difficult the viewing was for him at times.

The 59-year-old, whose appointment last month had left many supporters underwhelmed, was criticised following a 1-0 loss to Costa Rica at Hampden on Friday. He desperately needed a triumph here and he got one.

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When captain Charlie Mulgrew had a penalty saved shortly before half-time it looked awfully like it was not going to be the visitors’ night. But a Matt Phillips goal early in the second-half proved enough to get the result they craved by the narrowest of scorelines.

The opposition was mediocre. Hungary had lost 3-2 at the same venue to Kazakhstan last week and it was easy to see why. They were a pale imitation of their legendary forebears and were lucky to finish the 90 minutes with 11 men on the park. Despite their lack of quality, Scotland often lived dangerously. Still, no international win away is earned easily. There were positives.

A first international goal in 11 appearances for Phillips was most definitely one of them. Elsewhere, Jack Hendry and Barry Douglas both did well on their debuts, John McGinn and Callum McGregor were bright, Scott McKenna enjoyed another excellent game and Allan McGregor pulled off a string of important saves and kept a clean sheet.

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McLeish made no fewer than seven changes to the side that had lost four days earlier. Three of those were injury-enforced with Grant Hanley, Scott McTominay and Matt Ritchie all being forced to withdraw from the squad. But only McGregor, McKenna, Mulgrew and Andy Robertson survived.

Hendry, Ryan Fraser, Stuart Armstrong, McGregor, James Forrest, McGinn and Phillips all came in to the starting line-up as Oliver McBurnie, Callum Paterson, Tom Cairney and Kevin McDonald dropped to the bench.

Brendan Rodgers tipped Hendry to represent Scotland when Celtic signed him from Dundee for £1.5million back in January. But since then he has only started three games. It was asking a lot of him to slot in alongside McKenna and Mulgrew in a three man backline.

The 22 year-old allowed Balasz Dzsudzsak to get a shot on goal, which McGregor gathered easily, in the third minute. But he made a good run upfield early on and acquitted himself confidently thereafter.

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McLeish played an experimental 3-4-3 formation with Fraser and Robertson as wing backs, Armstrong and McGinn in central midfield and McGregor dropping deep to pick up possession. Phillips played up front.

The West Brom winger was deployed as a centre forward by interim manager Malky Mackay in the friendly international against the Netherlands at Pittodrie in November and struggled. The same was true for long spells of this outing. But the goal will do wonders for his self-belief at international level.

A whistle-happy referee – Austrian match official Harald Lechner blew for the slightest infraction - and a poor playing surface meant that neither team was able to build up any rhythm. Friendly internationals are forgettable occasions at the best of times. But this was especially grim fare.

The 1,000 or so Tartan Army footsoldiers who filled one corner of the modern Groupama Arena were, as always, in fine spirits after a day in the local hostelries. But there was little on the park for them to shout about.

The penalty that Lechner awarded Scotland six minutes before half-time certainly raised a cheer among the travelling support. Mulgrew floated a diagonal ball to Forrest on the edge of the Hungary area and it broke to Fraser. He was barged over by Laszlo Kleinheisler as he tried to win the ball in the air.

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Mulgrew accepted responsibility for the spot kick. The captain placed the ball low and to the left of Peter Gulacsi, but the keeper anticipated where he would shoot and produced a fine save.

McGregor was called in to action at the other end of the park on several occasions. He palmed a Dzsudzsak free-kick wide in the first-half and tipped a Roland Varga effort over and blocked a Adam Szalai drive in the second-half. The Hull City man has waited patiently for his chance and he looks determined to grasp it.

Scotland took the lead early in the second half with a simple move. Fraser broke down the right wing and squared into the six yard box. The Hungary defenders failed to clear and Phillips ghosted in and drilled beyond the exposed Gulacsi.

McLeish put on Douglas for Robertson, Kenny McLean for Armstrong, Ryan Christie for Forrest, McBurnie for Phillips, Paterson for Fraser and Jason Cummings for McGregor and they saw the game out. He has seen a total of a total of 21 players in action during these two games and will have learned a great deal that will prove invaluable to him going forward.