Imagination and incision proved strangers amid a frustrating impasse in Edinburgh as the first leg of this playoff for Euro 2025 qualification remained stubbornly goalless.
Given that Tuesday’s second leg is in Helsinki, Finland are probably slight favourites to reach next summer’s finals in Switzerland after Scotland’s worrying lack of creativity once again let them down.
But why did they not stage this playoff on a Saturday afternoon? Friday nights, particularly at the very end of a cold Scottish November, are far from ideal for live football audiences and it is safe to assume that the swathes of empty green seats at Easter Road would have been filled by the Edinburgh public had there been a more family friendly daytime kick-off. Where is the common sense in Uefa’s corridors of power? Surely growing live audiences has to be the priority at this stage of the evolution of the women’s game.
In reality, television calls the tune but those paymasters could hardly have been delighted with this first leg. Scrappy was an understatement, and particularly during a first half sufficiently downbeat to stretch the creative powers of any live broadcaster.
Pedro Martínez Losa, formerly in charge of Arsenal and now under increasing pressure in his new incarnation as Scotland’s manager, had said this two-leg playoff represented “the most important moment” of his career. Yet, as Marko Saloranta’s Finland dominated for long periods, the home players seemed to be a little overwhelmed by the sheer size of their challenge.
Fortunately for a highly animated, not to say agitated, Scotland manager, the home goalkeeper Eartha Cumings proved poise personified as she made some important early saves, with Ria Öling missing a very decent chance.
With Martínez Losa’s side slowed down and the crowd subdued by Finland’s streetwise tactics, Caroline Weir struggled to make her customary impact. The Real Madrid forward was back after a year on the sidelines nursing a serious knee injury but found herself largely restricted to shooting from distance.
No matter, the introduction of Kirsty Hanson from the bench at the outset of the second half improved Scotland, with the Aston Villa winger helping bring the best out in Weir, if not Chelsea’s often strangely subdued Erin Cuthbert.
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Unfortunately for Martínez Losa, this Hanson-inspired mini Scottish renaissance seemed to galvanise Finland. At that particular point of the second half it was hard to believe Saloranta’s side are positioned only 26th in the world rankings.
Scotland sit three places higher but few neutrals would have guessed as they struggled to establish any semblance of cohesive rhythm and remained alarmingly poor in possession. Had Linda Sällström made a better connection with Sanni Franssi’s fine ball, Finland would surely have been ahead.
Instead Martínez Losa’s players travel to Helsinki with it all to play for. Thanks to some very decent defending and fine goalkeeping, their hopes of qualifying for a third major tournament after Euro 2017 and the 2019 World Cup in France remain alive, but actually booking those flights to Switzerland will almost certainly necessitate Cuthbert and co raising their game.
