Four Takeaways from Scotland's UWNL Opening Games
What ifs, resilience, the importance of the undercard and a goalkeeper 50 not out. A look back at SWNT's UWNL opening games.
Scotland leave their opening UEFA Women’s Nations League games with work to do if they are to remain in the competitions top tier. One point from six leaves them bottom of their League A Group following a duo of games that demonstrated the potential of a squad to make it big in women’s football along with a reminder that there is work to do if that potential is to become a reality.
So here’s four takeaways from the opening round of fixtures.
One point from six, leaves familiar questions
“Outwith” is a funny little word and uniquely Scottish. Type it into a document and auto-correct will go into meltdown. Say it in a sentence beyond Scottish borders and there will be a squint of confusion in the eyes of the recipient and so, in the spirit of generating a more universal appeal for the paragraphs to follow, let’s translate it to “what if”.
What if Martha Thomas was awarded the penalty after Millie Bright went through her in Sunderland? What if England’s first goal had been ruled out for an obstructive offside? What if Nicky Evrard hadn’t decided Tuesday night was the night to become Christy Grimshaw’s mortal enemy? What if Caroline Weir hadn’t been forced off with twenty minutes gone, a sequence of events that angered a usually placid Pedro Martinéz Losa? Every individual both on the pitch and off it will feel able to add more from Scotland’s opening two UWNL contests. But these feelings, despite our linguistic invention, are not uniquely Scottish.
In Scotland, the “outwith/what if” state of mind at times feels as if it is worn as a badge of honour. After all we made up our own word for it so it stands to reason that in moment’s of struggle it can become a safety net to fall back on to help share, or shift, ownership from a situation.
They should be outliers to rationalise a moment that goes against the grain but for SWNT they are becoming too frequent in collective vernacular. “What ifs” come from a sense of “should haves”. Scotland should have had a penalty against England but we also should have defended the two goals we conceded better. Nicky Evrard did perform admirably but we should have taken one of those chances, and we certainly should have done better than to leave Kassandra Missiopo unmarked at the back post to convert the Belgian’s first real chance of the game. Caroline Weir’s withdrawal was a blow, there was an audible lull in what was an already subdued Hampden atmosphere, as she hobbled her way around the playing surface, but we also should have been able to turn to a squad that is now championed as bigger than just Cuthbert and Weir.
Netherlands 2-1 defeat of England in Utrecht means Scotland remain within reach of avoiding the Nations League drop. This team has big results within it but for Martinéz Losa, who the day prior to Scotland’s Nations League bow signed a contract extension until 2027, the much talked about and visible progress the side has made away from the limelight in the last few months now needs a result when it really matters, otherwise another tournament without the good guys will slide by.
Having said all that, Scottish resilience remains unrivalled
Rachel Corsie against Hungary, Abi Harrison against Ukraine and now Sophie Howard against Belgium can be added to the list goals that have salvaged a result in the final throes of a game that will serve to shape Scotland’s qualification hopes.
The ability to keep going until the last has been a trait never in question, Pedro Martinéz Losa even going as far as to say that he believes that is just something “within the Scottish people”to keep on fighting when it seems all is lost. As a fan these goals can be an intoxicating high. A surge of adrenaline that, in that moment, has no time or care for context. They can provide punctuation points when reflecting back on a campaign’s success, the moment where a side says “we are never beaten”.
They are unequivocally class.
Once the endorphins crash context appears and in each of these occasions (all during Pedro Martinéz Losa’s time in charge) the goals have not delivered the big result that many believe this side to be capable of but instead the minimum a collective hoped to achieve prior to kick-off.
Post match Lee Gibson, Amy Gallacher and goalscorer Howard all acknowledged that to not get a win was disappointing with Gibson in particular highlighting that ‘if we’re at home in the Nations League we need to be taking nine points, we’ve put in good performances but it’s still that feeling of we deserve better and as much as it’s a point gained it’s also points lost.”
More than one person around me likened Tuesday night’s performance to that which saw Scotland lose 1-0 to Ireland in the World Cup Qualifying Playoff Round. A goal down, against street smart opposition it looked like Scotland were about to fall again. Resilience though, carried us through. That should be celebrated, nor should it ever be lost, but to achieve their ultimate goals Scotland have to find a way of turning resilience into a ninety minute concern.
New faces were asked to step up, and did.
As Scotland chased an equaliser a number of high profile attacking figures were withdrawn from the action. First it was Claire Emslie; before Kirsty Hanson and Martha Thomas followed. In their place entered a trio of rarely tested at international level talent; Kirsty Maclean, Lauren Davidson and Amy Gallacher tasked with the job of getting that goal.
Post match, Martinéz Losa confirmed the changes were made in the pursuit of energy, even if the body language from some players taken out of the firing line suggested they were keen to keep on fighting. While the trio may not have been directly involved in the goal-saving moment all can be pleased with the impression they made.
Maclean continued to demonstrate her burgeoning prowess, singled out for praise by both her manager and Lee Gibson post-match, delivering a spritely cameo that attempted to jink and dink through the Belgian defence. A couple of pieces of link up play with Kirsty Hanson in particular left you wondering if it could have been the diminutive Rangers midfielder tasked with taking on Weir’s creative mantle.
Lauren Davidson, who picked up her 11th Scotland cap against Belgium added direct running and the willingness to have a pop from range while Amy Gallacher did well to link up the play at the point of the attack although she will be disappointed her headed chance failed to find the target having held her run to generate penalty box space.
Amy Rodgers also gained more experience in dark blue, coming on for the injured Weir, and as the Nations League and the Euro 2025 Qualifying unfolds the impact of Scotland’s undercard, some of whom had earlier in the day had participated in a 1-0 defeat to Australia representing the U23s, could be defining in the pursuit of progress.
50 caps for Lee Gibson
At a training centre on the outskirts of Budapest, a 25-year-old Lee Alexander made her Scotland debut against Hungary, playing 61 minutes and keeping a clean sheet in the progress.
At Hampden on Tuesday night, Lee Gibson made her 50th appearance for the national side, a moment she marked by producing an assist that rescued a point when all seemed lost. Post match she remarked that perhaps she should have been the one to take the free-kick that preceded it in what was a post-match breakdown delievered in her trademark no nonsense style.
The role of the goalkeeper, is one of extremes, success is fleeting but failure can endure, the fact that Gibson’s reign has gone largely uncontested during her six year and counting spell as Scotland’s number one emphasises her ability to endure.
No player will have felt the pain of Scotland’s 3-3 draw in Paris quite like the East Kilbride native, those fine margins laid bare for a watching world to see during that VAR penalty scene but she has been at the epicentre of more-celebratory campaign defining moments too. The penalty save against Poland with the scores tied at 0-0 in 2018, the catalyst for a 3-0 victory as Scotland hurtled along the road to France. Her late heroics against Ukraine at Hampden in 2021 ensuring Scotland stayed in the game; clawing a header off the line when it seemed destined to rustle the net just two of many,
Her success at club level has forged a steel that only comes when competing for titles is the everyday norm. At international level, she has emerged as a leader within the Scotland camp, and has taken the armband on more than one occasion. Gibson is often the one turned to for insight after the toughest moments for both club and country. and it was she that spoke down the lens following heartbreak against Ireland last autumn and in the wake of disappointment against Belgium.
Lee Gibson is Scotland’s number one. Still only 32, she will have no desire to hand over those gloves any time soon.
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A great blog, what if, is the perfect take way.
Well done to not mention the poor referee against Belgium. I felt the Belgium’s targeted Weir in the early stages and a few rough tackles were let go. Weir made the right decision to come off.
I felt Rodgers played better in the position occupied by Kerr. For me it was Kerr who had a poor game, not direct enough and felt we could of got the ball forward fastest on some plays.
Emslie I felt was playing well but with being on a booking was a risk the manager didn’t want to take and she was subbed first. The subs definitely helped, clearly told to be more direct and go for it. MacLean’s passing was good to watch, as she effortlessly pinged it about and cut through defenders.