Impressive win for Scotland Women's Under-17s to round off Euro qualifiers

Greece 1 - 3 Scotland
Wednesday, 18 March 2026
Sarpsborg Stadium, Norway 

Scorers

Greece 1 (Sofia Velissaridou 75’ [p])

Scotland 3 (Isla Taylor 11’, 23’, Erin O’Brien 68’)

Team News

Scotland Head Coach Michael Tuohy kept the same Starting XI that defeated Switzerland during their two-nil victory at the weekend, as they looked to add another three points and secure a win to round off this years European qualifiers.

As It Happened

Scotland faced a Greek team, who would be looking to save face after two losses to Scotland’s previous opponents, Norway and Switzerland, and it showed in a more direct attack that the Scots weathered before taking the fight right back to their opponents.

Isla Taylor worked her way up the wing, playing a wide ball out to Phoebe O’Donnell, who played a through ball back into Taylor, providing her with the opportunity to clip the ball past Greece’s Anastasia Kouventari to put Scotland ahead.

Lucy Hope also had a chance, but unfortunately, her shot went just wide of the Greek goal and came off the fingertips of Kouventari, leading to a Scotland corner.

Taylor soon followed up with another goal – this time with a spectacular olympico – as her floated corner curled past both sets of players and the keeper into the back of the Greek net to give her the second goal of the match and take Scotland that much closer to securing another three points.

Although two goals behind, Greece kept their heads and pushed to get back into the game, coming close when Elissavet Schortsianiti played a smart pass through to Sofia Kechagia, whose shot was confidently blocked by Julia Gorska as her stalwart defending of the Scots’ goals with frontline support from both Lily Boyce and Toni Campbell kept the Greek attack at bay until the end of the half.

The second half saw Greece concede several free kicks following a desperate attempt to avoid Scotland scoring further, as the likes of Phoebe O’Donnell continued to weave through the Greek defence with an eye for goal.

As the physicality of the game picked up, so too did the chances for either side, with Scotland especially pressing for that third goal to put the game to bed, and it was O’Donnell whose consistent play up the wing gave Scotland their deserved goal.

A long ball from Lily Boyce met Dara Ositelu, who neatly controlled the ball and played it to Jessica Ramsay, whose play through to O’Donnell allowed her to break up the wing and through the Greek defence, into the box, before she sent a cutback pass to a waiting Erin O’Brien, who rifled the ball past Kouventari with precision.

Despite trailing by three goals, Greece got their name on the scoresheet as a penalty was awarded against the Scots. Greece’s Sofia Velissaridou faced off against Julia Gorska; Velissaridou sent Gorska the other way and placed a shot into the bottom corner of the net that would turn out to be their only goal of the game.

Scotland soon fought back with a chance falling to O’Donnell, coming from another curled corner from Taylor, though this time the Greek defence were able to avoid another goal from the corner flag.

Taylor’s corner saw the ball come to O’Donnell, who sent the ball straight at the Greek goal, but a defensive header from Greece’s Ioanna Bataoula saved Scotland from going further ahead.

Scotland kept up the pressure throughout the rest of the second half, as Lucy Kelly Fellows chipped the Greek defence to an eager Ositelu, but she was unable to beat the keeper to the ball.

As the game came to a close, there was one last chance for another Scotland goal coming directly from the Taylor-O’Donnell link-up play that had worked so well throughout the game; Lily Boyce directed the ball to Taylor, who sent the ball up the wing with O’Donnell, but her cross was unable to be headed home by Fearne Smith bringing the game to its end.

Scotland’s win secured a second-place finish in the group, showing an inspiring determination and hunger for success.

Teams

Scotland

Julia Gorska, Toni Campbell, Isla Miller, Lexi Kelly Fellows, Lily Boyce ©, Phoebe O’Donnell, Jessica Ramsay (Fearne Smith 69’), Ava Crawford (Erin O’Brien 46’), Isla Taylor, Lucy Jane Hope (Dara Ositelu 62’), Freya McIndoe (Saoirse Coyle Morrow 62’).

Substitutes: Erin Aderson, Orla Burn, Chloe Arrufat Wood, Dara Ositelu, Erin O’Brien, Saoirse Coyle Morrow, Eilidh McCormack, Fearne Smith, Adian Ibrahim.

Unused Substitutes: Erin Aderson, Orla Burn, Chloe Arrufat Wood, Eilidh McCormack, Adian Ibrahim.

Greece

Anastasia Kouventari, Maria Evangelia Koukoumanou, Marianthi Ropoki, Ioanna Bataoula ©, Maria Gkizari (Tzoana Rakipi 90’ +1), Aikaterini Proimou (Viktoria Krystalli 85’), Sofia Velissaridou, Sofia Kechagia, Margarita Mara, Elissavet Schortsianiti, Ioli Stavropoulou (Agapi Lamprou 71’).

Substitutes: Iris Fine, Tzoana Rakipi, Georgia Vlachonikoli, Viktoria Krystalli, Afroditi Stefani, Anna Maria Lysooudi, Thomai Kantarinou, Agapi Lamprou, Evangelia Andreou.

Unused Substitutes: Iris Fine, Georgia Vlachonikoli, Afroditi Stefani, Anna Maria Lysooudi, Thomai Kantarinou, Evangelia Andreou.

Match Report by John Shiels