Scotland Acknowledges Underperformance in Finland Draw, Aims to Improve for Decisive Second Leg

Defender Sophie Howard expressed “very confident” that Scotland can elevate their performance in Tuesday’s crucial second leg of the Euro 2025 play-off, following a goalless draw against Finland where the Scottish team acknowledged not playing at their peak. Howard notably marked Finland captain Linda Sallstrom throughout the match. The initial match, a cautious affair held at Easter Road in Edinburgh, saw Finland demonstrate a stronger performance, yet neither team managed to score. Consequently, the upcoming fixture in Helsinki will serve as a winner-takes-all contest, with Scotland aiming to secure qualification for a major finals for the first time since the 2019 World Cup. “No team wants to show everything they have, so it was a bit hesitant,” Leicester City centre-back Howard informed BBC Sport Scotland. She continued, “We are fully aware this was not the best Scotland that we can produce. “But I’m very confident we can raise the bar and we’re fully prepared and committed to do that on Tuesday.” In addition to Howard’s strong defensive play, goalkeeper Eartha Cumings executed an excellent first-half save, blocking a lob from Linda Sallstrom, and effectively managed other offensive efforts from Finland. The Rosengard goalkeeper emphasized the significance of preventing goals and maintained that the overall tie is still undecided. She stated to BBC Sport Scotland, “Tonight wasn’t a bad result,” adding, “They’re a really good side. “If anything it’s probably positive because we’ve just got to go away from home and play our best and not really masses of pressure on us. We just need to go and win.” During a subdued offensive performance by the Scottish team, lone forward Martha Thomas was substituted in the second half, with young midfielder Emma Watson assuming an attacking role. Nevertheless, head coach Pedro Martinez Losa clarified that Thomas had been ill and had not participated in training for the preceding three days. He commented, “It was agreed that as soon as she lost energy, we would have another plan.” Emma Black, a former Scotland international with 42 caps, served as a pundit for BBC Radio Scotland at Easter Road and admitted feeling “deflated” following the goalless draw. She remarked, “We’re at home, we should take the game to Finland, we’re going into this game as favourites and we just looked a shadow of ourselves.” Black further observed, “We looked very nervous. We dropped deep and allowed them to have possession. “We’re lacking cover on the bench. My worry is where are we going to get goals from?” Rachael Boyle, a fellow Sportsound pundit and Scotland midfielder with 43 caps, commented, “You expect more. Finland’s gameplan worked really, really well.” She continued, “It’s almost like we’ve got an imbalance on the bench. We’ve got a lot of midfielders but not a lot of attackers.” Boyle also suggested, “We’ve got Scottish players scoring in the SWPL week in, week out. You need to start bleeding these players in because they are what’s going to come next.”