WOMEN'S EURO 2013 QUALIFIER Early goal for visitors sets the tone on a disappointing night for Scotland

SCOTLAND’S hopes of qualifying for Euro 2013 were dealt an unexpected blow when they were held by a stuffy Welsh side at Tynecastle last night.

All the goals came in the first half, with Scotland having to twice come back from a goal down on a frustrating night.

Failing to beat the Welsh, who had lost their two opening Group 4 matches, was a major disappointment for the Scots, who started their qualifying campaign with a 6-1 drubbing of Israel in Tel Aviv.

Anna Signeul, the Scotland coach, said: “We gave away two points tonight. They looked at the start as if they wanted to win this more than we did. We gave away a very bad goal at the beginning, but if we had played the whole game like we did in the last 20 minutes, we would have won the game.”

The match was only three minutes old when the Welsh stunned Signeul’s side by taking the lead -- the move starting from a Scotland corner.

The set-piece was well taken by Hayley Lauder, but just eluded Jenny Beattie and immediately the Welsh broke forward in their first attack of the game.

The Chelsea striker Helen Lander was allowed to run deep into the Scotland half, but her low cross should have been easily mopped up by Ifeoma Dieke.

Instead, the central defender horribly scuffed her clearance and Amie Lea sent a lobbed shot over Gemma Fay’s head. The Scotland captain’s first touch of the ball was picking it out of the net.

It could have been worse, because the impressive Lander got behind the defence five minutes later. Fay did just enough to make her rush her shot, otherwise the Scots could have been two down.

Far too many Scotland passes were going astray, but they managed to equalise in the 19th minute. Beattie sent a lovely through ball which released fellow striker Jane Ross, and the Glasgow City player, Scotland’s best player on the night, coolly slipped it past Nicola Davis.

By this stage it was clear it wasn’t going to be an easy night for the Scots, and they went behind for the second time midway through the half. Again it was Lander who caused the damage, although it looked initially as if Rachel Corsie had done very well to stop her shot on the line. The relief was short-lived as Austrian referee Tanja Schett awarded the goal.

This was not in the script, especially as Wales left back Sophie Ingle had come close to scoring two minutes earlier. Fortunately for Scotland they ended a flat first half with more vigour and, after Leanne Ross had forced a good save from Davis, they equalised just before the break when Beattie headed home Emma Fernon’s high ball into the box.

Despite the height of the Welsh defence, well-marshalled by captain Jayne Ludlow, Beattie’s prowess in the air looked to be Scotland’s best hope of taking the lead. She nearly obliged after 48 minutes, meeting Arsenal team-mate Kim Little’s cross, but Davis made a fine block.

Scotland’s best chance of securing the precious three points came from, unsurprisingly, two long-range shot by Megan Sneddon, but the Celtic midfielder’s efforts both flew agonisingly wide of the woodwork

Then in they dying seconds, Beattie’s header looped just over the bar to complete a thoroughly disappointing night for the Scots.