Scotland women’s soccer team has taken one more step closer to qualifying for the UEFA Euro 2025 finals in Switzerland. That is great news for the team and fans. But there were some worrying warning signs at times too.
Scotland women have been very successful so far in their qualifying campaign. Five wins and one draw from their Nations League B group got them into the final phases of qualifying. That unbeaten run with just a single goal conceded will have boosted belief in the squad again after failures to qualify for the World Cup and the previous Euros.
The first task for qualifying is to beat Hungary over two legs. So far so good, Scotland went to Budapest on Friday and returned with a 0-1 lead from a tight game. The second leg is at home on Tuesday, at Easter Road, Edinburgh. The winners over both legs will play either Finland or Montenegro. The Finns are likely as they too returned home with a one-goal win from their first leg.
Does that mean it’s a simple tie for the Scots on Tuesday too? Not at all. Friday’s win was comfortable at times, but the Scots didn’t show the same great form as in their recent run of good results. They struggled somewhat in a dull first half, scored after an hour of play, and safely saw the result through. Both sides had and squandered good chances.
There will be confidence within the squad, with an expectation for a win. That can be a dangerous combination and a single-goal lead isn’t huge. The players will want to impose themselves more on Tuesday and get off to a good start.
A positive sign, if you believe in such things comes on the squad strength. The campaign so far saw a Scotland squad hit by injuries to top players. Three of those are now back together in the squad. Erin Cuthbert, Sam Kerr, and Caroline Weir are available for the Scotland midfield.
They bring top-class club experience from Chelsea, Bayern Munich, and Real Madrid, surely an invaluable addition. But together on the pitch it’s not yet gelled to be the formidable formation or style it should be with them together. It seems unlikely the Scotland boss will make a big change and shuffle that midfield trio for the second leg. He will though be looking for more from them and the other players to secure the result needed to progress to the final playoff phase.
