Alex McLeish's resources were spread thin by nine withdrawals but proceedings were smoother in Shkoder as Forrest struck a brace after Ryan Fraser and Steven Fletcher opened up a two-goal first-half advantage.

Albania captain Mergim Mavraj made the task simpler than it should have been, receiving a red card for headbutting Ryan Christie soon after Fraser's 14th-minute opener.

His team was left bottom of Group 1 in League C, from which Scotland can escape if it beats Israel - 2-1 winner in the reverse fixture - in Glasgow on Wednesday.

Albania's hopes of avoiding a third-place finish, where it is at risk of relegation pending results elsewhere, effectively evaporated in the space of seven minutes.

Fraser first capitalised on Taulant Xhaka's turnover to cut inside and curl into the bottom far corner, before Mavraj followed a poor tackle on James Forrest with a costlier moment of ill-discipline.

Scotland posed little threat until Rey Manaj was adjudged to have Stuart Armstrong's free-kick, enabling Fletcher to convert his first international goal since September 2016 in first-half stoppage time.

It was cruising within 10 minutes of the restart, Forrest striding onto Christie's through pass and beating Etrit Berisha in a one-on-one.

And the result was given an emphatic look when the Celtic winger made it a double in the 67th minute by taking a touch and firing home all in one fluid motion, taking Scotland level on six points with Israel.