Scotland handle tense goal difference situation to top group in World Cup quest
Weir bags four goals as Scotland defeat Israel
Proud Scotland Women head coach Melissa Andreatta hailed her players for dealing with the pressure of landing top spot in their World Cup qualifying group by defeating Israel 5-1 in Budapest
Real Madrid forward Caroline Weir added to her hat-trick in Friday’s 6-0 demolition of Luxembourg with by netting four times to keep Scotland side ahead of Group B4 runners-up Belgium on goal difference.
The Belgians trounced Luxembourg 7-0 and at one point on Tuesday evening were two goals away from toppling Scotland at the summit, but Andreatta’s team reacted to the situation. The win also secured Scotland’s return to Nations League A.
.jpeg?trim=0,155,103,0&crop=&width=640&quality=65)
"I'm a bit all over the place, to be honest,” said Andreatta afterwards. "Proud, if I put some words on it right now, proud, really pleased with the campaign and the performances.
"In the second half, we were aware of what was happening in that other game, we had processes in place to have that information handy.
"But I think what's bigger than pressure is expectation, and these players have high expectations of themselves, and no one can be harder on themselves than this group.
Jenna Clark’s first-half header added to Weir’s curled opener before Israel halved the deficit early in the second period through former Glasgow City player Vital Kats.
Captain Weir converted a dubious penalty and later lashed home via the underside of the crossbar and swept in on the rebound to prevent Belgium from taking top spot.
Scotland must now progress through the play-offs to book a place at next year’s World Cup in Brazil and finishing first means they will have a higher seeding.
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.