Deja blue as Scotland face World Cup sayonara after defeat to Japan
Scots are made to pay again for sloppy first half before late rally
THERE was something painfully familiar about all of this for Scotland. The concession of a first-half penalty, a 2-0 deficit at the break and then, all too late, a fightback at the death.
For Shelley Kerr and her team, this World Cup is fast becoming one they shall look back on with some regret.
If only they had learned the lessons of that opening 2-1 defeat to England. If only some debatable refereeing decisions had gone their way. If only they had started games the way they finished them...
It was an historic achievement for the Scots to qualify but it should be remembered that they earned their place at these finals. They are not short on ability. And while plaudits have previously been forthcoming, so must questions as to why they have failed to produce a 90-minute performance in their first two Group D games.
And there’s little doubt that come Argentina on Wednesday night, the Scots must finally get it right if they are to have any chance of grasping a qualification lifeline. Finishing third in the group could yet secure progress to the knockout stage.
Kerr had made four changes to the side which lost to England in Nice. Both full-backs were dropped, with Kirsty Smith coming in on the right and Hayley Lauder on the left. It was cap No100 for the Glasgow City player.
Up front, Lizzie Arnot replaced Claire Emslie, the scorer against England. Jane Ross returned, with Erin Cuthbert dropping back to No10 and Kim Little sitting deeper alongside Caroline Weir.
Kerr had said the Scots would go for the win but the game started at a sedate pace and it was Japan who carved out the first chance after seven minutes.
Striker Yuika Sugasawa made a well-timed run to get behind the Scotland defence, fed the ball to Emi Nakajima, and her shot went wide of Lee Alexander’s post.
Scotland quickly responded with a good move down the left instigated by Lauder. Ross turned the ball back to Little, but her shot was saved by Ayaka Yamashita.
Japan had already come close when Mana Iwabuchi dispossessed Weir near the byeline. Her shot was from too tight an angle and Alexander saved at her near post.
Yet the goal which had been threatening arrived midway through the half.
Rachel Corsie’s weak headed clearance set up a chance for Iwabuchi and she fired past Jen Beattie and into the roof of the net.
The keeper looked as if she might have done better, not getting her hands anywhere near the ball, which was straight at her.
Japan continued to dominate. A Beattie block denied Iwabuchi a second and they came even closer when Little had to head off the line to deny Saki Kumagai.
If all this was starting to feel familiar, then a questionable penalty award only hammered home the sense of deja blue.
This time there was no VAR involved, but Corsie’s contact with Sugasawa looked no more than a slight brush.
That wasn’t the view of Ethiopian referee Lidya Tafesse Abebe and she pointed straight to the spot.
Sugasawa took the penalty and stroked the ball coolly to the left of Alexander.
There was, at last, a decent effort from Scotland four minutes from the interval when Cuthbert’s 20-yard shot was just too high.
But the Japanese came even closer to making it three in the minute added on as Hina Sugita struck the bar.
After the break, a Cuthbert surge offered better but Lisa Evans couldn’t get her shot away.
That wasn’t the case at the other end, when Alexander had to make a fine stop to deny Nakajima.
Emslie replaced Arnot on the hour and quickly provided the direct running her side had lacked all afternoon.
It wasn’t until the last 15 minutes that Kerr’s side managed to exert some real pressure. Cuthbert raised hopes of a comeback with a shot which hit the woodwork following a Weir free-kick, and then went down in the box under the challenge of Sugita — but Abebe was having none of it.
The Ethiopian official then overlooked a stronger claim involving Cuthbert when Risa Shimizu handled in the box.
In between, Japanese keeper Yamashita did well to parry Evans’ shot away for a corner.
The pressure finally paid off when Lana Clelland, who had replaced Evans, seized on a loose ball. The Fiorentina striker fired a fierce shot from outside the box into the net past Yamashita.
It was too late to have any effect on the outcome and Alexander had to make another good save to restrict the Japanese at the end.