The Scottish Blue Danube
If it seems like an age since Scotland reached the playoffs of qualification for Euro 2025, it’s probably because it is. Scotland topped their Nations League B group by beating our closest opponents Serbia 1-0 at Firhill back in July courtesy of Kirsty Hanson.
That meant five wins and a draw, that draw coming in the opening goalless game away to Serbia.
In between, Scotland narrowly beat Slovakia at home thanks to a goal by Sophie Howard…
… then a 4-1 win at home against Israel. Two goals from Claire Emslie and one each from Kirsty Hanson and Martha Thomas. The Talia Sommer consolation was the only goal Scotland conceded in this group.
Next up was the 5-0 win away to Israel. Chelsea Cornet getting the fifth goal after Martha Thomas had got the first four.
Claire Emslie then got both goals away to Slovakia.
Topping the group meant not only a seeding in the semi final of the playoffs for Euro 2025, but an immediate return to Nations League A when that campaign kicks off early next year.
Yeah, it’s before actual Euro 2025. Go figure. But we’ll save that for next year.
The Euro 2025 playoff draw paired us with Hungary, a team who had finished third in their Nations League behind Switzerland and Turkey. In their six games, they drew 1-1 at home with Azerbaijan…
then lost 2-1 away to Turkey in April.
May saw them lose 2-1 away to Switzerland…
but then beat them 1-0 at home into June. The only game of the six Switzerland didn’t win. Not that they’ll care, they still topped the group to get promoted to Nations League A and they’re hosts of Euro 2025 so don’t even need to go through these playoffs anyway.
July then saw them hammer Azerbaijan 5-0 in Baku…
before losing 4-1 at home to Turkey.
Which brings us up to today’s first leg. As the seeded team, Scotland get to play the home leg second, so tonight’s game is over in Budapest, a city split by the Danube just as Glasgow split by the Clyde. So just because I love this piece (and this movie), and I’ve used it for the title, here’s a bonus bit of classical music.
The game is live on BBC Alba with a 5.15pm oor time kick off. The second leg is on Tuesday night at Easter Road, but we’ll come back to that next week.
The last time we faced Hungary was in the 2022 Pinatar Cup, where the game ended goalless, but Scotland won 3-1 on penalties to finish fifth in the eight team tournament (they had lost to Wales in the quarter final but then beat Slovakia in the “consolation semi final”).
Prior to that, we met Hungary in World Cup 2023 qualifying. I’ll save the home game for next week, mainly because I need to keep something since there’s not a lot left now, but the game in Hungary was a 2-0 win for Scotland courtesy of goals from Erin Cuthbert and Martha Thomas.
September 2017 was the only other meeting of the sides, and Scotland won that friendly 3-0 with goals from Lana Clelland, Claire Emslie and Jane Ross.
So overall we have a good record against Hungary (at least the women do, I’m still not over the men’s Euros…) and hopefully that continues into this crucial playoff.
Should Scotland see their way past Hungary over these two legs, we’ll face either Montenegro or Finland over two legs next month for a place at Euro 2025. The first leg of their tie takes place in Montenegro, and kicks off at 3.30pm oor time. So it should be just about finished when our game kicks off.
Good luck to Scotland this evening!