European Championship finalists Iceland suffered a surprising home defeat at the hands of Scotland in Reykjavík.
It was only the second time Iceland have been beaten in their home country since 2006, but two goals in the opening 13 minutes by Scotland’s Leanne Crichton and Emily Thomson put the visitors firmly in the driving seat in the early stages.
Iceland rallied and got one back through Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir, before Leanne Ross struck to ensure Scotland headed into the interval with their two-goal lead intact. After the break, Hólmfríður Magnúsdottir scored to bring the Icelanders to within one goal, but it was to prove only a consolation as the Scots ran out 3-2 victors.
Scotland’s win was made all the more impressive because of the fact that they had to do it without experienced players such as Suzanne Grant, Rhonda Jones and Kim Little. This meant Under-19 skipper Siobhan Hunter along with fellow Under-19 players Caroline Weir and Claire Emslie were all called into the squad and came off the bench to make their debuts.
Iceland will now head back to the drawing board to prepare for the UEFA Women’s Euro cup in Sweden next month, while Scotland will head to Germany with renewed confidence for their friendly match against the best side in Europe, in Essen.