Claire Emslie double as Scotland women’s soccer team remain on track despite storm in Slovakia

Scotland women’s soccer team continued their pursuit for a place at UEFA Euro 2025 in Switzerland with an away win over Slovakia on Friday. But it wasn’t without its nervous moments and a disruption due to torrential rain and lightning in another exceptional weather storm.

Scotland opened the scoring with Claire Emslie slotting one in at the back post just 30 seconds into the second half. That eased the nerves after a goalless first half. The game was suspended for 57 minutes while the extreme weather made the game unplayable. That cranked the pressure and nerves back up again.

Just under 45 minutes later the players kicked off again to play the remaining 30 minutes of the tie. Ten minutes later, Emslie nicked a scrappy goal and her second after applying pressure in the penalty area. That gave Scotland a more comfortable 2-0 lead. The Scots kept control for the rest of the match and secured the valuable away win and three more points. 

Pleasing win for Scotland ahead of crunch match

Scotland boss Pedro Martinez Losa will be pleased with the way his team played and dealt with the conditions and that unscheduled disruption to play. Two goals and a clean sheet are a fine combination too. It could have been three goals with a near miss from Emslie or via a blocked shot from Rachel Corsie, both in added time.

Next up is that crunch game against Serbia on Tuesday, July 16. Fortunately, it’s at Hampden giving the Scot’s home advantage and hopefully a decent-sized and encouraging crowd. Serbia beat Israel 1-0 on Friday to leave them equal on points at the top of Group 2 with Scotland but in second place. Scotland’s goal difference of eleven compared to eight for Serbia keeps them on top.

A win or a draw on Tuesday will seal the top place for Scotland. They have been on a great run during this campaign and will be confident ahead of the tie. They are already guaranteed a playoff place in the next phase with final group positions determining seeding and their playoff opponents. Scotland women will be keen to follow the men’s team in qualifying for the tournament and to show what they can do on the bigger stage.