It is back to club duties for players this weekend after a positive international window for Scotland.
After the opening disappointment against Wales, Scotland won their final two matches at the Pinatar Cup in Murcia to end strongly ahead of the qualifying matches that will come in April.
A 2-0 victory against Slovakia in game two was consolidated by a 0-0 draw and a win on penalties against Hungary. While the games were against opposition of lower ranking than Scotland, the results were important, along with two clean sheets, which has been something the team has been careless with in recent games.
For me, the return to action was a relief, after suffering from some prolonged after effects from Covid-19.
Tha Alba air buannachadh! Abair oidhche airson Eartha Cumings!
Scotland win 3-1 on penalties and what a moment for @earthacumings on her first Scotland appearance 👏 👏 #PinatarCup #SWNT pic.twitter.com/0UtmooY5L9
— BBC ALBA (@bbcalba) February 22, 2022
I flew out late to meet with the team just before the Slovakia game, and it was great to be back on the pitch and to enjoy a full 90 minutes in a Scotland shirt against Hungary.
The squad that travelled saw an extended number of players earn a call-up to the senior team and there were two debutants.
Celtic captain Kelly Clark gained her first cap as a substitute against Wales, while Eartha Cumings made her mark by becoming the hero in the shoot-out as well as keeping a clean sheet, which will hopefully be one of many to come.
Scotland are set to take on Ukraine in the next competitive match, which will likely be the most crucial tie of the World Cup qualifying campaign to date.
A win will put Scotland very close to securing a second-place play-off berth.
Confidence boost for Euro hosts
Some media outlets are tipping England to claim the top prize in this summer’s European Championship but will the hype be as damaging as it has been for their male counterparts over the years.
Their victory on Wednesday night against Germany put them top of the group in the inaugural Arnold Clark Cup, which is hoped will now become an annual tournament in the February International window.
The four team round-robin tournament was played across the south of England and the tournament came down to the last day of action.
The final game, which England won 3-1, put the hosts above Spain on goal difference, as Canada and Germany made up the bottom half of the standings.
The first ever @ArnoldClarkCup WINNERS! 🎉
An important step on our journey to #WEURO2022. pic.twitter.com/E8qnwdv7Rc
— Lionesses (@Lionesses) February 23, 2022
The win was the first time England have ever beaten Germany on home soil, which will be an enormous psychological boost, on top of the earned recognition from their results as they continue to prove themselves as one of the best sides in Europe.
Having not lost a single match, England challenged Olympic champions Canada in their opening game. The 1-1 draw was a well-earned point in the end as Canada pushed for a winner in the later stages of that match but England’s defense stood resolute.
The second tie was against one of the other sides most hotly tipped for Euro success, Spain.
While both line-ups were rotated heavily from the opening matches, nothing could split either team once again.
A clean sheet for England was impressive, especially against a country that has been relentless in front of goal in the last 18 months, as Scotland learned last November.
As things stood ahead of the final day of action, every team was poised to fight for the top prize with very little able to separate all four teams. The tournament highlighted the calibre of teams invited to participate and it was a fantastic advert for the top level of the women’s game.
Composed. Calm. Cool.
Our @ellsbells89 🧊
— Lionesses (@Lionesses) February 24, 2022
Although Spain did take victory in their tie against Canada, as Alexia Putellas scored the only goal in the first half, England’s superior goal difference was crucial to lifting the title in the end.
Goals from Fran Kirby and defender Millie Bright ensured a historic win for England, as they both scored in the final 10 minutes to highlight the progress that England have made under head coach Sarina Wiegman.
The strength of England in the latter stages was another positive for her team, as they showed their growing character ahead of a very important year.
The hosts have certainly given themselves an encouraging start to what could lie ahead as they came through these testing games with a lot more positives than just the results.
They still have some players hoping to return from injury in the coming months, including Man City captain Steph Houghton and winger Chloe Kelly, which will likely add some selection questions for Wiegman.
England are yet to lose under her management and there is certainly some momentum building, as fans daringly wonder if it could be England’s year.
All to play for as Old Firm meet again
This weekend will play host to yet another Old Firm game as the sides meet in the SWPL 1.
Rangers sit top but have a found life difficult against their greatest rivals. They have only managed one win in seven meetings, most recently succumbing to yet another defeat in the Scottish Cup.
Rangers’ only win came in the last league meeting between the two teams and Celtic will be desperate for another victory to close to keep the pressure on at the top.
