Maloney happy with Scots' effort

Maloney replaced his Celtic team-mate Paul Hartley after an hour

Shaun Maloney says Argentina provided ideal preparation ahead of Scotland's World Cup qualifier against the Netherlands in March.

George Burley's side lost 1-0 at Hampden on Wednesday, with Atletico Madrid midfielder Maxi Rodriguez netting the only goal of the game.

But Maloney said Scotland could take heart from the encounter.

"The Holland game is a long way away, but this was a great game to play in," the Scotland midfielder said.

Burley's plans were hit by a rash of call-offs, but the match gave several key players the opportunity to take on world class opposition such as Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano ahead of the crucial Group Nine encounter with Holland in March.

Argentina are one of the best teams in the world and it was great to be involved Shaun Maloney

With just four points from their opening three games, Scotland's hopes of qualifying for the World Cup finals in South Africa have been dealt a blow.

But Maloney believes the Argentina friendly was worthwhile practise before facing the Dutch.

"In our next game against Holland we will face similar quality and there will be long times when we are without the ball and that's something we have to learn to deal with," said Maloney.

"Argentina are one of the best teams in the world and it was great to be involved. It was another game for the manager and I'm sure he will have seen things to take on board.

"Some boys made their debuts, so there were positives to take."

Maloney replaced his Celtic team-mate Paul Hartley after 60 minutes and admitted it was difficult to watch the slick Argentines retain possession.

"They looked really sharp early on and we maybe struggled to get the ball but we did a lot better after the first 15 minutes," he said.

"There were some positives to take from the game."

MY SPORT: DEBATE Was the Argentina friendly a worthwhile exercise for Scotland?

Meanwhile, Scottish Football Association chief executive Gordon Smith admits the less-than-expected turnout for the Argentina friendly has dampened his enthusiasm for bringing Brazil to Hampden.

Smith had hoped to attract the five-time world champions to Glasgow if the public turned out in numbers for Diego Maradona's international managerial debut - but only 32,492 fans were in attendance.

And the prospect of Brazil playing at Hampden for the first time since 1987 now appears distant.

"I have to be honest and admit I was disappointed with the crowd as I'd hoped the public would support the game more," Smith said.

"We can reflect on this exercise and I would have to say that I would need to think twice about repeating it by bringing a nation such as Brazil here in the future.

"I don't think there was enough of an appetite for the game against Argentina so I'd be wary of making that kind of commitment again."