Scotland crashed out of the World Cup in dramatic style after throwing away a three-goal lead against Argentina. They looked to be cruising but a five-minute capitulation that saw Milagros Menéndez score and Lee Alexander deflect the ball into her own net had them on the brink of disaster.
In added time Florencia Bonsegundo pushed Scotland over the edge from the spot. Alexander thought she had saved Scotland but the penalty was ordered to be retaken by the referee. Bonsegundo then made sure with her second effort that sealed the draw and Scotland’s dismal fate.
If the question coming into this crunch Group D game was “Can Argentina attack?”, Carlos Borrello’s side had an unequivocal sí ready and raring to go. Asked to defend for their lives for 180 minutes so far this tournament, La Albiceleste were a coiled spring waiting for their moment to burst forth.
When Argentina did so the caveat was they were attacking Scotland – and a Scotland team who had not shown up in France at their best – not a team ranked third (England) or seventh (Japan) in the world. Yet it raised the question, where was this team in the earlier group games? And had they drawn with England, would they have come out as positively as they did against Scotland? Full of intent and hunger, Argentina were keen to remind the world they were South Americans and what they did best was turn on the flair and go for goal.
After Mariana Larroquette headed an effort against the bar, and Lee Alexander flew to her feet to block Sole Jaimes’s follow-up, the stadium rocked with expectant fans; the goal was coming. But when it was the back of Vanina Correa’s net that was left to ripple, no one could quite believe what they were seeing. Shelley Kerr’s team had not been the better side and were made to camp out in their own half for the majority of the match up to that point but it was the Scots who took the lead.
Having had her first effort blocked by Correa, the Chelsea midfielder Erin Cuthbert cut the ball across for Kim Little score. It had come from nowhere but was enough to settle the Scottish nerves and relax them into the game. Argentina still dictated the match but suddenly it was just that – a match between two teams and not one person on the pitch needed to be reminded of the stakes.
Kerr’s side came out all guns blazing after the break – living up to their reputation in qualifying as a team that thrived in the second half – and finally those watching began to understand what they were all about.
By the time Jennifer Beattie’s header nestled into the back of the net, those in pink were drinking the match in. The England and Japan had been forgotten, all that existed was the scoreboard in Paris that had Scotland two goals to the good.
Playing with nothing but freedom, Scotland streaked forward, bursting with confidence and unrelenting style. The irresistible attacking combinations of Caroline Weir, Claire Emslie, Cuthbert and Little made for extraordinary viewing. And they were not done at two. Cuthbert’s volley was nothing if not deserved just as Menéndez’s was for Argentina, the team who dominated the first half finally had their World Cup goal.
When all looked lost, Bonsegundo’s hopeful punt bounced off of the underside of the bar struck Alexander and went in. The nerves returned and again Argentina were in the ascendancy. The pressure told and they won a penalty at the death, the drama of having it retaken after Alexander saved the initial spot kick overshadowing the previous 90 minutes. Nervously fretting around her line, Alexander could do nothing as Bonsegundo put her second effort away. The lack of stoppage time added on for the lengthy VAR reviews only leaving a cloud of confusion around the stadium as the match was brought to a swift conclusion.
The draw ultimately left both Scotland and Argentina disappointed – with the South Americans requiring an unlikely set of results in other groups to squeeze through, as Scotland’s wait for a World Cup knockout game continues.