Wasteful Scotland punished in defeat by Iceland

Wasteful Scotland began their 2023 Pinatar Cup campaign with a frustrating defeat to Iceland in Murcia, Spain.

They were made to pay for their lack of ruthlessness after the break when Olof Kristinsdottir netted a quickfire double on her debut.

The Scots will look to get back on track against Philippines on Saturday.

The defeat leaves plenty to ponder for Martinez Losa, who will not only be concerned by his team’s lack of cutting edge in the first half, but also their defensive frailty in the opening stages of the second period.

Windy conditions played their part in a scrappy opening from both sides. But when Scotland settled, the chances came.

Martinez Losa’s side passed up three golden opportunities in the space of a few minutes when Claire Emslie firstly fired wide of the top-right corner from close range.

Sophie Howard then rose highest to plant a header off the post before captain Rachel Corsie dragged wide from just yards out.

If the Scots had shown a ruthless steak, Iceland could have had no complaints about being four down just after the half-hour mark.

But they were again saved by wasteful finishing when Brogan Hay – on her first Scotland start – pulled a rebound wide after Real Madrid’s Caroline Weir saw an effort saved.

Scotland were almost punished when slack play at the end of the first half resulted in Amanda Andradottir drilling an effort just wide from the edge of the area.

But clinical Iceland made no mistake after the break when Kristinsdottir first found the net via a deflected strike from the edge of the box before adding a fine finish into the top-right corner a minute later.

Scotland pushed for a way back as Matinez Losa tried to impact the game with a raft of changes, but his team failed to really test Sandra Sigurdardottir in the Iceland goal in the remainder of the contest.

Player of the match – Olof Kristinsdottir

Match-winner Kristinsdottir – on her first senior international appearance – was perhaps fortunate with her first goal, but the second was a stunner and worthy of winning any game. A debut to remember.

What’s next?

Scotland take on the Philippines in their second Pinatar Cup game on Saturday (14:00 GMT) before ending the tournament with a match against Wales next Tuesday (14:00).