Walter Smith's side were always going to have to rely on their defensive expertise again, and so it proved early on when Zenit's star man Andrei Arshavin was released through on goal, only to pull his shot wide of the upright and ripple the side-netting.
As hedge funds look toward the homestretch of 2012 they will have to pull off a sector-wide miracle to stop 2012 from being one of the worst years their rich industry has ever experienced.
On-loan West Ham striker Freddie Sears dragged his effort wide in response, but Scunthorpe did pull one back just before the break courtesy of McDonald's well-taken finish.