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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
Sport
Alison McConnell

Martha Thomas pivotal to Scotland rout over Israel as they secure Euro 2025 play-off

Two games, nine goals and six points has painted a rosy picture for Scotland as they claimed a Euro 2025 play-off place.

There will be tougher games ahead of them if they are to go and book their place in Switzerland next summer through the play-off system but for the time being three successive victories has taken them firmly in the right direction.

Martha Thomas became the first Scotland player since Kim Little to net four goals in a single game as she netted two in each half. To compliment them was one from Chelsea Cornet as she claimed her first senior Scotland goal.

“It's a first international hat-trick for me, we set out for six points in these two games and that's exactly what we've done,” said Spurs striker Thomas.

"We wanted to utilise the wide areas and put balls into the box because we know we're dangerous with that. Sometimes they come off, sometimes they don't. Luckily most of them did today."

It adds up to an impressive ten days for Scotland who had to negotiate challenges off the pitch as well as on it in a double header against Israel which was inevitably dominated by the political issues that ran concurrent with its build-up. 

There will be a relief that the games have been firmly negotiated with Scotland now looking to the final two games from a solid position. The goal difference could well come into play when it comes to deciding top spot, an important placing given that it could provide a more comfortable passage through what is a layered process through the play-off system.

 “I am very happy,” said Martinez Losa. “It helps when you can see that we are heading in the right direction and I think the players can see that. This camp has been a lot of hard work from everyone and there has obviously been a lot of challenging circumstances to cope with. We can recognise what we have done well and that has been in scoring nine goals across two games.

“It has not happened over one night but it has been a consistent effort. As a group we have worked hard on this. We had a lot of discussions about it and the need to be more prolific, be more efficient with our play in the final third so it is very satisfying to see those elements come together and see it pay off.

“There are still areas where we want to keep working but we had three objectives coming into this camp; to beat Israel and take six points from the two games, to secure a play-off spot and to score goals.

“If we have learned anything from our FIFA World Cup campaign it is that these small margins of things like goal difference can come into play. So we are very happy right now that we have achieved these objective. Now, we want to go on and win the group.”

The only surprise in Hungary was that it took Scotland and Thomas 14 minutes to get up and running. Sophie Howard had a header cleared off the line while Claire Emslie and Kirsty Hanson had efforts cannon off the woodwork in what was a dominant Scotland performance. 

Having created ample opportunities there was a sense of inevitability about the first of the afternoon. Thomas slotted an effort low into the net before heading Lisa Evans’ cross in for a second. 

Her hat-trick was complete on the other side of the break with an effort that seemed to come off her knee. Evans was the architect again for the fourth with another cross onto Thomas’ head.

“Martha is a player who can be very effective from crosses and that's something we managed to do,” said Martinez Losa.

Cornet netted the fifth in the latter stages of the game to round off a professional display with Scotland now looking to July and games against Slovakia and Serbia to finish with the final game at Hampden potentially crucial. 

For now, though, Scotland’s rebuilding of moral following their demotion to League B after a dispiriting Nations League campaign has given them grounds for optimism. 

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