Alex McLeish was appointed Scotland manager on 29 January 2007, and he hired Roy Aitken and Andy Watson as his assistants. McLeish's first match in charge was a UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier against Georgia in March 2007. In the 11th minute Kris Boyd scored to put Scotland in front. Georgia equalised just before half time with a goal from former Rangers striker Shota Arveladze, but a late winner by Craig Beattie gave Scotland a 2–1 win, and meant they 'held' the unofficial world champion title for the first time since 1967. Four days later Scotland went down 2–0 to the 2006 FIFA World Cup winners Italy in Bari. Scotland continued their progress with wins over the Faroe Islands and Lithuania.