Scotland need to find cutting edge as they prepare to face the flair of Brazil
Scotland are looking to be more clinical in front of goal when they meet Brazil at the Piñatar Arena in Spain tonight. They squandered numerous chances at the same venue on Friday, allowing a Chile side they had dominated to escape with a 1-1 draw.
The teams have met once before, in Brasilia in 2013, and all three goalscorers could be on the pitch tonight. The legendary Brazilian striker Marta opened the scoring before her team-mate Debinha added two more, but Hayley Lauder restored some pride with a fine goal of her own.
The Glasgow City attacking midfielder, who has played more often at left back for the national side, got the better of a defender before curling a shot into the top far corner from just inside the box.
“When you take into account you’re playing for your national team, and the opposition, it was definitely one of the best goals I’ve scored and one I can look back on when I’m old and retired,” Lauder said.
“The stadium had been rebuilt for the men’s 2014 World Cup and it was one of the first games held there. It was very impressive. That trip was a bit bizarre because it was in December, close to Christmas, and most of us were out of season.”
Brazil, ranked tenth in the world, will also be disappointed with their result on Friday as they lost 2-1 to Spain. It was an unprecedented eighth straight defeat, although the other seven were all against teams ranked higher than them and, before that, they had won 14 of the previous 16.
Marta, who has won the Fifa player of the year award six times and was the tournament’s top scorer when Brazil finishedrunners-uptogermany in the 2007 World Cup, and Debinha both play their club football in the United States, as does Scotland captain Rachel Corsie. She is scheduled to play against both for Utah Royals over the coming weeks. Lauder also played against Marta at club level during her time in Sweden, and although Scotland found the Brazilians hard to cope with in the hot conditions in Brasilia she feels the gap between the two countries has closed.
Lauder won her 98th cap when she came on as a second-half substitute against Chile and could reach the ton either before the World Cup – there is a further friendly against Jamaica at Hampden next month – or during it.
“It would be amazing, but right now it’s way back in my mind,” she said. “The main focus now is on getting selected for the World Cup but getting 100 caps, if it comes, is an achievement which would make me very, very proud.”