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In a night of hellos and goodbyes at Hampden Park, a relentless Austria relegated Scotland to League B in the Nations League.
Pre-match, an air of optimism drifted around the stadium. Though Scotland have failed to qualify for a major tournament since 2019, the first game under new manager Melissa Andreatta held promise. Scotland needed a two-goal win to keep any hopes of staying in League A alive. Yet as the sun set on Hampden Park, so did fans’ hopes of a rapid turnaround in form for the home side.
Starting XIs
Scotland
Gibson; Muir, Howard, Weir (C), McGovern, Gregory, Clark, Rodgers, Lawton, Davidson, Cuthbert.
Finland
Zinsberger; Hanshaw, Kirchberger, Georgieva, Wienroither, Zadrazil, Puntigam (C), Schasching, Höbinger, Purtscheller, Hickelsberger.
Shaky Scotland defence take first half Nations League battering
From the offset, the hosts seemed rattled. An audacious Austrian side gave Glasgow City keeper Lee Gibson plenty to do in the first half. Verena Hanshaw forced a stunning save in the 13th minute. Though Gibson’s starting place in the squad seemed to be in question towards the end of former boss Pedro Martínez Losa’s tenure, Scotland’s number one showed her metal, blocking shot-after-shot.
While Scotland showed signs of life on the opposite end of the pitch, a Kathleen McGovern offside followed by an Erin Cuthbert off-target was reflective of past toothless offensive performances. Austria’s Julia Hickelsberger was denied by the crossbar in the 40th minute to close out a decidedly one-sided affair at nil-nil.
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Austria break the deadlock through Hickelsberger
At the half, Jenna Clark made way for Scotland skipper Rachel Corsie to pick up her 150th cap and final hurrah on home turf. The 35-year-old recently announced her retirement from professional football at the end of the international break. The Scotland legend bolstered the backline well, and Austria struggled to find the same level of intensity through the start of the second half.
Nevertheless, a corner set-piece gave Hickelsberger Austria’s only goal in the 62nd minute. With chances aplenty, the low scoreline showed a lack of precision in the final third for the visitors.
Outplayed on all fronts, two shots on target in 90 minutes is what will frustrate Scotland fans most. A 82nd-minute scramble in the Austrian box fell to newly subbed Kirsty Howat, but the Rangers forward couldn’t get it over the line. With Hampden in disbelief, the tide quickly turned. A heroic Corsie chased down Hickelsberger to deny Austria a free goal moments later.
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Then, Scotland rallied. A stunning Howat shot hit the woodwork, but an emboldened offence couldn’t find the net and it ended 0-1. With only four training sessions under the new manager and plenty of young talent called into the squad, Scotland’s rebuilding may simply take time. However, they’ll have to do it from League B. The Melissa Andreatta era began with defeat.
