Italian captain Sergio Parisse was full of emotion at the final whistle after victory at Murrayfield © Getty Images

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Sergio Parisse cried tears of joy as the full-time whistle blew on Italy's first victory at Murrayfield in eight years, but fans of Scottish rugby will be red with anger after a promising start by their men ended in inept defeat.

Scotland's loss was as dramatic as their victory in Rome last year. Back then, with 24 seconds to go, fly-half Duncan Weir slotted the crucial dropped goal to seal a last-gasp win. Today, with the final play of the match, Italy secured the penalty try that handed them a famous victory under the lights in Edinburgh. That Scotland finished the game with two debutants in the sin bin tells the story of promise snuffed out.

After valiant losses to France and Wales in their opening two Six Nations fixtures, a supposedly improving Scotland needed to win handsomely against the championship's traditional whipping boys. Make no mistake, the hosts have come on leaps and bounds under Vern Cotter's stewardship, but they will return to their homes stunned to be on the end of a defeat which leaves them almost certain to pick up the wooden spoon, unless they can pull off a miracle against England or Ireland.

Mark Bennett's early try gave Scotland hope © PA

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That actually looked unlikely in the opening exchanges as Scotland happily displayed their attacking instincts early on. A talented backs division were merrily tossing the ball around in their own 22 moments after kick-off, risking intercepts to release the likes of Sean Lamont out wide. Their first foray into Italian territory very nearly resulted in a score as Blair Cowan broke from the back of a snaffled lineout, but the Azzurri defence scragged him just in time.

Mark Bennett's try after just seven minutes had Murrayfield daring to believe this could be the day their side shook off the tag of underachievers. The centre's grin as he intercepted a Kelly Haimona pass and dashed half the length of the field was reflected in the faces of the Scottish fans, but the following 73 minutes would wipe it from their faces.

Italy struck back immediately through their traditional strength up front, with Josh Furno barging over after a powerful maul from the visitors. Haimona, woeful as ever from the kicking tee, missed the conversion, but crucially Italy did not let Scotland out of their sights and, inch by inch, they would eventually overhaul them.

The build-up to today's clash was dominated by the fairness or otherwise of fly-half Finn Russell's ban for a tackle on Dan Biggar during the defeat by Wales a fortnight ago. But his absence initially appeared to do little harm to Scotland's cause, with his stand-in Peter Horne full of invention and attacking promise. While skipper Greig Laidlaw was looking for the No.10 at every available opportunity, Italy seemed to be trying to avoid Haimona. It looked as though it was just a matter of time before Scotland's backline efforts paid off for a second try and, perhaps, the spark they needed to score a hatful.

Come the second half, however, Italy managed to change the game. They dragged Scotland into a forward battle, sucking the ball into scrum after scrum, where their hulking front row dominated the hosts' - even in the absence of veteran tighthead Martin Castrogiovanni. Although themselves in possession of a hugely experienced front three, Scotland had no answer to the strength of Messrs Aguero, Ghiraldini and Chistolini.

In fact, the scrum was a particularly ugly spectacle for the whole 80 minutes. While Scotland seemed to be the ones struggling, referee George Clancy took umbrage with the effort of both front rows and chose to berate them at almost every opportunity, much to the crowd's annoyance. Wales assistant coach Shaun Edwards made headlines in midweek when he criticised the choke tackle for its stifling effects on the game, but the scrum was today's blight, albeit one that allowed Italy to shove for victory.

Italy's win was not without its lucky moments though, with their second try a case in point. For once, Haimona's dodgy boot did the visitors some good as his penalty attempt bounced back off the post into the hands of Giovanbattista Venditti. The wing leapt highest to claim the ball before somehow managing to ground it in one movement - or at least that was the decision of the TMO. Cotter, face like thunder in the coaches' box, was less than impressed.

At the launch of this year's championship, Parisse insisted Italy were going into every match determined to prove they could compete. While Scotland needed a stellar victory today, an edgy win is goldust for the Italians. After scoring three tries at Twickenham and bursting the Scottish bubble, they have proven they can put up a fight against anyone in Europe, and their strong-arm tactics were enough to overpower their hosts.