Scotland’s under-21 women scraped a 2-1 win over the hosts from the Czech Republic, newly-promoted from the third tier of European competition. Scotland’s goals both came from direct strikes by Becky Merchant at penalty corners in the first half, during which the Scots had complete control, and might well have scored a couple more.
But the well-supported home side came back strongly in the second period, while Sue Davidson failed to take advantage of a two-to-one attack on the Czech goal. And it was no surprise when, seven minutes from the end, the Scots conceded a goal, putting increased pressure on themselves for the rest of the game.
"It was a game of two halves, and we were only functioning at 60% today," admitted coach Dave Stott. "But we did the job and won the three points on offer, and we must now make the most of our remaining games."
The Scots now play the Ukraine on Monday, and Russia on Wednesday, intent on winning the Trophy competition outright.
