Abi Harrison aims to cement Scotland place after crucial Hampden goal

Scotland forward Abi Harrison netted a late equaliser against Ukraine at Hampden and said she hopes that helps cement her return to the squad.

Roksolana Kravchuk had given the visitors the lead in the World Cup qualifier but, just when Scotland’s unbeaten start to the campaign looked set to end, Harrison scored a 93rd minute header to earn her side a point.

It was a first international goal for Harrison on her fourth appearance, but it cam after she received a late call-up to the squad. Harrison had earned the last of her caps in 2019 but her form at Bristol City, where she’s the second top scorer in the English Championship, saw national team boss Pedro Martinez Losa turn to her when he needed to make a change.

“I don’t think it’s quite sunk in yet,” Harrision said. “My family were here so it’s emotional for them.

“When the dust settles I’m sure I’ll look back with pride and excitement.

“It’s been a whirlwind, a rollercoaster. I was called in late so anything was a bonus. I was just delighted to be back in the squad and it’s been a couple of years now.

“When I saw my name in the starting line-up I was delighted and surprised but hopefully I took my chance and I’ll keep staying in the squad.”

Reflecting on the game, Harrison said that the team improved as the game went on but could do better. The team now travel to Spain to face the group’s top seeds on Tuesday and will face a real challenge in Seville.

“I think the way it was going, we’re happy to get the equaliser and not go away with a loss but ultimately we know we can do better,” she said. “We wanted three points and we’ve come up short.

“In the second half we were better. We exploited the space that they were leaving better. Unfortunately we couldn’t quite turn them into goals but I think the second half was better.”