Late drama in Scotland’s DNA after Ukraine draw

Head coach Melissa Andreatta remarked, “we never stop. We never stop.” when Maria McAneny scored her last-gasp debut goal to rescue a draw for Scotland against Ukraine.

The Scots appeared to have given up on a meek defeat in a match they dominated after 95 minutes, but they did little in front of goal.

However, after Georgia Brown’s shot was parried into her path, McAneny was waiting for an equalizer when Sandy MacIver was thrown up for a Caroline Weir corner and the ball bounced around like a pinball game.

It preserved what would have otherwise have been a rather unsatisfying inquest into a subpar game, but it also displayed Scotland’s never-say-die attitude, which appears to have been amplified under Andretta’s leadership.

The Real Madrid midfielder found the net in her hometown against Switzerland in the 93rd minute thanks to Weir’s 90th-minute wonder-strike, which sealed the Australian’s first victory as manager.

The head coach told BBC Scotland in Jerez, “It’s a Scottish mindset, I’m just adding to it and really shining a light on it.”

With all this late drama in Scotland internationals, who knows what the football gods are trying to achieve? If they show some kindness, we could all be saved a few years.

Andreatta stated earlier this week that her players wanted to emulate Steve Clarke’s side’s heroics in winning the World Cup in 2027.

Although Group B4 will officially begin in March when it will play with Belgium, Israel, and Luxembourg, this friendly against Ukraine and Tuesday’s against China on Tuesday served as a guarantee that they entered the campaign in the best shape.

More of a damp squib, this.

Following last month’s thrilling seven-goal performance against the Swiss, there were more hopeful hopes. The display in Dunfermline was disciplined despite the defeat, where the Scots delivered a punch that drew the crowd’s attention.

Watchers in Jerez were able to concentrate on enhancing their tanning in the scorching heat without such excitement.

“We were really dominant and good with the ball,” Andreatta said in the opening 30 minutes of the first half.

“Then, we stumbled a little and forced things to form, which cost us.” You can’t hurt good teams, especially strong ones.

We need to work on improving the quality of our final pass, which has the numbers in the box to convert our chances.

Kathleen McGovern has done a lot of good work in Andreatta’s two previous camps in that regard.

The Hibernian forward also found the net at East End Park in the Netherlands, where the Australian won the first match of their reign in a draw.

Scotland have been searching for a striker like the 23-year-old. After the incident in Dunfermline, Andréatta even described her as “a beast.”

Due to her injury, she had to withdraw from the south of Spain, which allowed McAneny to advance from under-23s.

After a strong start to the season at both the club and country levels, Andreatta asked the Celtic midfielder to bring “more of the same” on her first encounter with the A-squad.

The 21-year-old showed persistence even before her goal.

After moving down the left, she made a good connection with Kirsty Hanson, who is always upbeat, before Andreatta switched sides in the dying moments with a sharp cross from outside on the right.

She was perfectly placed to fire into the crowded box. Precision paid off in the midst of a sizable stramash.