If Scotland had stopped after 15 minutes on Tuesday in Jerez then it would have been a very different post-mortem.
At 3-0, there were murmurs they might be able to mount a tally like the Lionesses did against China on Saturday.
However, that would be too easy. The Scots prefer to suffer “the Scottish way”.
On her first start, Kirsty Howat had the chance to complete a hat-trick – after scoring two special first-half goals – and restore Scotland’s three-goal advantage from the spot, but her strike kissed the left post, while the rebound was helped over.
From potentially 4-1 to 3-2, it was an unnecessarily nerve-wracking end to the encounter.
Just days before, the dominant Scots needed that last-gasp McAneny finish to pick up a draw with Ukraine, while Andreatta’s first win – against Morocco in October – was secured in the 90th minute thanks to Caroline Weir’s wonder strike.
“If we get that [penalty], the pressure sort of releases a little bit, but then they go and score and It makes it super interesting, which is the Scottish way, apparently,” Andreatta said.
“I think what we did was show really good character. The way we defended was excellent. To deny them chances from all those crosses, I think looking ahead, that’s what you’re going to need in tight games and tournament football.”
How do Scotland buck the trend and save their supporters from ageing a few years, though?
“We’re really going to use the beginning of the February camp to have a good training block, where we focus on some of those details,” the Australian added.
“With time, we’ll keep making progress like we’ve seen with each performance. That’s what we’re going to work towards and I can’t wait, actually.”
