Another group and another team looks to be close to qualification.
Thursday 5th April
Switzerland 1-0 Scotland
Both these teams are looking to qualify for the World Cup but one of them took a step closer to it with victory here. Switzerland only had one qualifier in this round of fixtures but they made it count. Scotland made history when they made it to the Euros and they want to create more. Automatic qualification looks possibly out of reach from them but they could have a say later on. Switzerland got the win at home with a goal by Lara Dickenmann as she lead by example here.
Friday 6th April
Poland 1-1 Albania
Poland and Albania are currently behind Scotland in the group. This draw however didn't help them gain ground with the Scots dropping points. Poland were previous victors winning 4-1 in November but it was much closer in this fixture.
It looked like Poland could have been onto another good victory when Katarzyna Daleszczyk scored with two minutes on the clock. However, it wasn't to be with Geldona Morina claiming a point for the Albanians later on in the second half.
Tuesday 10th April
Albania 1-0 Belarus
Albania knew they needed a win to keep up any chance of qualification via the play offs and that's what they got. They had all the chances and it was all about being patient and taking those chances when needed. They finally found a way through in the 88th minute with Lucie Gjini locking down those three points. She was amongst a number of players scoring their first goals of the campaign and what a crucial time to do so.
Scotland 3-0 Poland
Scotland had to try and get as many points on the board to try and at least qualify for the play offs and they managed to here. It was a closely contested match with the Scots just having a few more attempts. One of the moments that changed the game was when Lee Alexander saved a penalty that Ewa Pajor took. This seemed to spur Scotland on. Another game changing moment late on when Paulina Dudek picked up her second yellow and a subsequent red card. That gave Scotland the upper hand and they used it. Zoe Ness put them ahead with her first international goal. Fellow WSL players Claire Emslie and Erin Cuthbert added to the tally and secured the win.
What next?
Switzerland will play all of their three remaining matches away. First up is Belarus on 12th June, followed by Scotland on 30th August and Poland on 4th September. They could even secure their spot in the World Cup next match.
Scotland have four games remaining, equally split between home and away games. Those away matches are against Poland on 12th June and Albania on 4th September. The home matches are against Belarus on 7th June and Switzerland on 30th August. With the play offs to aim for, they will need to try and get as many points from these last few matches to stand a chance of being part of the four play off teams.