Abigail Harrison sinks Austria to put Scotland on verge of World Cup

For Abigail Harrison and Scotland, the moment was worth waiting for. This game was in extra time when Harrison stooped to head Erin Cuthbert’s corner into the net. Austria appealed in vain for a handball as Harrison enjoyed euphoric celebration.

Scotland will return to Hampden Park on Tuesday, when they will face the Republic of Ireland for a berth in Australia and New Zealand next summer. On this evidence, the Scots will not trouble the leading lights in that tournament but focusing on such shortcomings would be churlish. Scotland emerged from this dour, tense battle. Semi-finals are rarely pretty. This one was played in front of 10,182; a record for a Scottish women’s competitive game.

Austria’s progress to the semi-finals and quarter-finals in successive European Championships rendered them strong pre-match favourites. Scotland did not even qualify for the latter of those tournaments. Nicole Billa, who scored 13 times during the group stages of qualifying, led the visiting attack.

The hosts, though, opened brightly. Martha Thomas almost beat Manuela Zinsberger to the ball, 18 yards from goal, before Caroline Weir’s chipped effort was held by the Austria goalkeeper. In appalling conditions, this promised to be an attritional evening.

It took until midway through the first half for Billa to be afforded a sight of goal. The Hoffenheim forward’s curling effort landed on the roof of Lee Alexander’s net. Moments earlier, the Scotland captain Rachel Corsie had halted a promising Austrian counterattack.

Scotland continued on the front foot. Only the late and crucial intervention of Laura Wienroither prevented Claire Emslie from sending the hosts in front. Weir, now of Real Madrid, was unsurprisingly central to all of