Taylor treble sparks Scottish rout in Euro
doetinchem — Jodie Taylor scored a hat-trick as England demolished newcomers Scotland 6-0 at the women’s European Championship while Spain cruised past Portugal in their opening Group D match in the Netherlands on Wednesday.
In Utrecht, Arsenal striker Taylor struck an 11th-minute opener, capitalising on a run by Lucy Bronze, before firing home again in the 27th minute following a goalmouth scramble.
Ellen White made it 3-0 five minutes later from a rebound after Jill Scott’s long-range blast hit the crossbar, and Taylor completed her hat-trick on 53 minutes, chipping the ball over Gemma Fay in the Scottish goal following a flick-on header from White.
Jordan Nobbs scored a fifth goal three minutes from the end with a volley and substitute Toni Duggan rounded off the rout with a header in stoppage time as England recorded the biggest margin of victory in tournament history.
“I’m happy to get three goals but I wouldn’t be able to score without the service of the team,” said Taylor.
“The last two years have been tough. It’s a huge achievement for myself to be here.”
Scotland had a decent chance in each half but were outclassed on their first appearance at a major competition and extended their losing streak against England in competitive matches to seven.
“It was a tough debut for us, but I think we played against a very, very good side, a contender in this tournament,” said Scotland coach Anna Signeul. —