Scotland survive second-leg scare to go one step closer to next summer’s Women’s World Cup.
Scotland survived the absence of key player Caroline Weir and a spirited Czechia fightback to book their place in the Women’s World Cup second-round playoffs with a 5-2 aggregate win in front of a bumper crowd at the Marbill Coaches Stadium on Tuesday evening.
Leading the tie 2-0 thanks to strikes from Caroline Weir and Claire Emslie in last week’s first-round first-leg playoff, goals from Lauren Davidson, Kathleen McGovern and Christy Grimshaw sealed a 3-2 victory on the night and a safe passage through to the next step of qualification for next summer’s tournament in Brazil. Danisa Vesela and Klara Cahynova had twice put Czechia ahead.
And it wasn’t the only thing the night served up, with Scottish fans able to consume alcohol at their seats for the first time in 45 years. The first time football supporters have been permitted to take a pint into the stands and within view of the pitch since 1981, the Scottish FA said that the initiative was aimed at "exploring how a managed approach to alcohol sales can contribute to a positive and safe matchday experience.”
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The move came on the back of several clubs, including Aberdeen, Motherwell and Kilmarnock, taking part in a pilot schemes on controlled alcohol consumption earlier this season, with Scottish FA saying the latest move was “another significant step forward in the ongoing piloting of controlled alcohol consumption inside stadia. However, those in attendance were seen clutching warm cups of tea and coffee rather than pints of Tennent’s to shield themselves from the frost on a bitterly cold night in PA3.
On the pitch, head coach Melissa Andreatta made two changes to the starting XI that navigated last Friday’s clash against Czechia, bringing in AC Milan’s midfielder Grimshaw in place of Liverpool’s Kirsty MacLean in Paisley. The Australian boss was also dealt a major blow ahead of kick-off, as captain Weir was forced to withdraw after an injury in the warm-up. Claire Emslie took her place, with vice-captain Erin Cuthbert was named amongst the substitutes as she continued her recovery from a knee injury.
The game started in the worst possible way for the home side, with Czechia reducing the first-leg deficit almost immediately through Vesela. Robbing Nicola Docherty just outside the area, she then sent a thunderous 25-yard strike beyond Sandy MacIver’s reach and into the top corner after just three minutes.
Scotland wasted no time levelling the scores on the night, though, when SK Brann forward Davidson found space in the box to fire beyond Barbora Votikova in the visitors’ goal merely 120 seconds later. Shortly afterwards, good work from Davidson again freed Kirsty Hanson on the left flank, but her low cross was just out of the reach of Grimshaw and trickled agonisingly wide of goal.
The 25-year-old continued to cause issues for the Czechia defence with several driving runs, one of which forced Lucie Bendova into some last-ditch defending to deny Emslie. Despite being in the ascendancy, Andreatta’s side were frustratingly pegged back against the run of play just after the half-hour mark when Cahynova shocked the home support with a bullet header that put Czechia ahead again on the night.
Trailing at the break, Scotland introduced Cuthbert and Kathleen McGovern for the second half and the changes paid off almost instantly with the latter taking just three minutes to find the net from close range. The goal was the Newcastle United striker’s sixth of Scotland as she continued her impressive scoring rate since making her international debut just 15 months ago against Austria.
With little under 20 minutes remaining, Scotland finally made sure of their progression when Czechia ‘keeper Votikova failed to deal with Rachel McLauchlan’s right-wing cross and dropped it at the feet of Grimshaw, who tapped into an empty net.
Aiming to put an end to an exile from major tournaments that dates back to the Women’s World Cup in 2019, the result means Scotland will now face a mammoth two-legged clash against Sweden in round two of the playoffs after they thumped Lithuania 15-0 on aggregate. One of women’s football powerhouses, they are ranked eighth in the FIFA World Rankings.
Should Scotland beat Sweden, but be the lowest-ranked of the eight European teams who come through the play-offs, then they will be forced to go into inter-confederation playoffs. If they are not, a they would qualify automatically by defeating Tony Gustavsson’s side.
The second round playoff dates are scheduled to played between November 26 and December 5.
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