UEFA Under-17 EURO 2026 Qualifier
Scotland 0-2 Sweden
Friday, 31 October 2025
Albert Bartlett Stadium, Airdrie
Scorers
Scotland 0:
Sweden 2: Gabriel Duarte Santos (35), Dion Mehmeti (38)
Team News
Head Coach Brian McLaughlin made two changes to his starting eleven that prevailed over England on Tuesday: Luke Douglas and Cai McGunnigle replaced Caelan Cadamarteri and Aiden Crilly.
As It Happened
Scotland started positively, just as they had in the previous match, with a fast press against an equally confident Sweden side.
In the 11th minute, Sweden played a risky ball out from the back and fell prey to a swift Jamie Forrest, who pounced on some hesitant play and slid the ball through to Luke Douglas, who was unlucky not to put Scotland ahead.
Sweden would fight their way into Scotland’s box, but the stalwart defence from Ben Stoddart and Nairn Reynolds would neutralise the attack, taking the pressure off their goalkeeper.
A very possession-based first half would see the Scotland midfield placed under considerable pressure, but the hardy efforts of the players would see Oliver Goodbrand burst free on the left-wing firing the ball across the box to Arran McSporran, who was just unable to provide a finish.
In the 29th minute, Rayan Bardghji would go down in the Scotland box and, despite calls for a penalty, he would receive a yellow card from the referee for simulation instead of the desired spot kick.
Minutes later, Sweden continued their pressure on Scotland, as Dion Mehmeti firing a shot against Scotland’s Warren Lyall, who made a fine stop against the Swedish forward.
Unfortunately for Lyall, the continued attacking efforts from the Swedish attack would see Gabriel Duarte Santos’ powerful strike from the edge of the box beat the Scotland keeper and put the visitors ahead.
Sweden would soon score their second in as many minutes; a strike from Dion Mehmeti from outside the box would cut through the Scottish defence and low into the bottom corner of Scotland’s goal.
The Swedish attack continued in the first-half, with crosses coming into the box testing Lyall, who kept his head and recovered the ball, keeping the Scottish line safe from conceding further goals and bringing an end to an eventful first forty-five minutes.
The early stages of the second half would see a determined Scotland side come out firing, with the head coach making three changes to the side to inject some freshness into his squad following a difficult first half seeing Cadamarteri, Wilson and Obidiwe enter the fray.
As Scotland pressed forward, Sweden’s Truls Furuseth would again handle the ball, and they weathered the Scottish attack, leading to his name being taken and placed in the referee’s book for a yellow card.
Oliver Goodbrand would step up to take the resulting free kick, aiming the ball through the Swedish defence but colliding straight with the wall, unable to build on the opportunity.
Sweden would pick up their attack, working their way into several chances to add to their lead, with several of their attacking players finding their second wind and putting Scotland’s defence through its paces, providing Lyall numerous chances to make some great saves.
The final twenty minutes brought a chance for Scotland as a corner would be curled into the box by Ethan Crombie, but Aaron Thomson was unable to put it past the Swedish defence.
Aaron Thomson would have a great chance, as a corner from Crombie would cause calamity in the Swedish box, giving Thomson the chance to put his laces through it, but a deflection would deny Scotland their first goal of the game.
The 81st minute would see Samin Mujevic put an overhead kick over the Scotland bar, soon followed by several good saves and a retrieval by Lyall to keep any further goals from Sweden.
Caelan Cadamarteri would put some much welcome pressure on Sweden’s keeper Vincent Arnström in the dying minutes of the game following a clearance from Scotland’s half, emphasising the team’s heart was still in the fixture despite being two goals down.
Although Scotland kept fighting until the final whistle, they were unable to score, ending the game without a point but showing great endeavour until the end.
Match report by John Shiels
Post-match thoughts
Scotland Men’s Under-17 Head Coach Brian McLaughlin said: “It was a really tough game. I knew coming into the tournament that this was going to be unbelievable learning opportunity for the boys with how tough the group was going to be.
“You see with Lithuania and their result today [against England], it’s going to be a difficult game, but at the same time, what a challenge for the players.”
On Monday’s game, McLaughlin said: “We always believe going into these tournaments that all you can ever want is going into the final game with the outcome being within your own hands. Anything after that is a bonus.”
Scotland Team
Scotland: Warren Lyall, Arran McSporran, Oliver Goodbrand (C), Nairn Reynolds, Aaron Thomson, Ben Stoddart, Max Cameron, Luke Douglas, Cai McGunnigle, Ethan Crombie, Jamie Forrest
Substitutes: Joe Hastings, Joseph Haney (’61) Stanley Wilson (’46), Caelen Cadamarteri (’46), Charley Oosenbrugh, Emmanuel Obidiwe (’46), Liam Walker, Aiden Crilly (’70), Kayden Daly
Unused substitutes:
Next Up
Scotland host Lithuania at the Albert Bartlett Stadium, Airdrie on Monday November 3 at 3:00pm to conclude the group.