Double centurion and Scotland women’s captain Gemma Fay excited by Euro Finals

SCOTLAND women’s captain Gemma Fay says Euro 2017, which gets underway in Utrecht this afternoon, will be the most exciting ever.

Favourites Germany almost own the tournament, having won the last six and eight of the last nine. But Fay, who is likely to retire from international football after Scotland’s last match, says it will be different this time.

“If you look across the groups, you’ve got France and you’ve got Sweden, who are playing some of the best football I’ve ever seen them play,” the 35-year-old said.

“Then as well as Germany you’ve got England and Spain – and Holland, who have had some phenomenal results and performances.

“They’ve got home advantage, so this is an exciting European Championship.”

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Fay has done everything with Scotland except qualify for a major tournament. She won her first cap back in 1998 and her 200th nine days ago in the 1-0 friendly win over the Republic of Ireland.

On Wednesday she will joined a select group of European women players who have got more than a double century. That’s when the Group D opener against old rivals England is played – also in Utrecht.

After that it’s Portugal in Rotterdam a week today, and finally Spain in Deventer on July 27. The top two teams from the group will go into the quarter-finals.

That was Scotland’s aim at the start of the year, but since then they have been badly hit by injuries to key players, including star midfielder Kim Little.

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Fay was a member of the Scotland side which lost play-offs for the 2009 and 2013 Euros, as well as the 2015 World Cup. She saved penalties in both legs of the play-off against Spain four years ago and her side were going through until the home side scored with the very last kick of the ball.

“We don’t have an issue with team spirit despite the injuries,” Fay, who has been playing her club football in Iceland this year, said. “There is a real buzz about the squad.

“England are one of the best teams but you have to look at the game in context – the first match in a major championship is a sticky one for both sides.

“It’s also a derby, and these are not necessarily always about football. There are a whole combination of factors which make this a difficult game to predict.

“Spain and Portugal is a derby too, so it’s a really interesting dynamic in the group. Everybody has a bit of history with everybody else.

“We have with Spain in terms of a last-minute defeat trying to qualify for this exact tournament in 2013, and we have history with England.”