Second-half goals from Lineth Beerensteyn and Chastity Grant cancelled out a first-half Emma Lawton goal and gave the Netherlands a win at Hampden and condemned Scotland to a second successive Nations League defeat, although the scoreline did not tell the whole story.
On what was always going to be a difficult task for interim manager Mick McArdle’s side, they will feel that there was encouragement to be drawn from the manner in which they competed against a Dutch side who are currently 14 places higher than them in the FIFA Women’s World Cup standings.
McArdle made five changes to the team who lost in Austria with a notable accent on keeping some of the new faces in position.
It was a predictable start from the Dutch who dominated the opening exchanges and controlled the game with Scotland chasing shadows for much of it.
Read more:
When Lee Gibson had to parry a Vivianne Miedema header from Jill Roord’s corner there was a suspicion that it could be a long night for Scotland.
Indeed, by the time that Lawton gave Scotland the lead the visitors had enjoyed 79% possession.
Scotland’s first shot on target within the game gave them an advantage that few would have seen coming.
Asked, however, just who might have claimed the glory there is a fair chance that Lawton’s name would have been on their lips.
The full-back has had a meteoric rise this season following her switch from part-time football with Partick Thistle to the Champions League stage with Celtic. A Scotland debut came on Friday night in Austria and on her home debut there was a night to remember as she opened the scoring just ten minutes before the break.
It all came from Lauren Davidson’s corner which made its way to the edge of the box where Rachel McLauchlan collected. Trying her luck with a low effort that ricocheted through a ruck of players, the ball seemed only to be partly blocked by Chastity Grant with Lawton pouncing to collected the loose ball.
Lifting her effort past Dutch keeper Daphne van Domselaar it was a goal that Scotland celebrated with gusto.
Buoyed by the opener, Scotland might have had another show for it.
Kirsty Hanson had an effort blocked by the shoulder of van Domselaar after she had met Lauren Davidson’s ball across the face of goal. The striker had connected first time to send the left-foot effort straight to the stopper although she may well have had a bit more time than she had initially realised.
It meant, though, that Scotland ended an opening period where they had been up against it for so long with the bit between their teeth.
As expected, the Dutch came out with the intention to make something of the possession they had enjoyed after the restart.
A series of corners kept Gibson busy before both Esmee Brugts and Miedema had shots go wide.
It was a portent that Scotland failed to heed as the visitors restored parity less than ten minutes into the second period.
Beerensteyn pace and power was too much for Scotland to cope with although both Jenna Clark and McLauchlan will feel that she could and should have done better.
It was too easy for Beerensteyn to weave her way past them before cutting into the box and netting audaciously with the outside of her right boot.
Within ten minutes they had flipped the game.
Miedema was provider this time as she cut the ball back for Grant who finished from close range.
As it became backs firmly to the wall for Scotland, there was always a danger of more.
Beerensteyn had an effort smack off the woodwork.
