Gibraltar futsal claim 4-1 win against Scotland

Gibraltar futsal recorded an important win against Scotland to allow them to finish third in Group C of the UEFA Futsal Euro 2026 Preliminary Round group matches.

Match Report
GIbraltar 4-1 Scotland

Gibraltar faced Scotland in their final match of the UEFA Futsal Euros 2026 preliminary round group qualifiers. After two defeats at the hands of Switzerland and Malta, Gibraltar set off on the offensive from the start. Scotland had also lost both of their first games, but with a better goal difference, they held the third place in the league. Everything was at stake as the winners would finish third.

A couple of early chances for Gibraltar in the first few minutes saw an immediate response from Scotland, who also aimed at goal but had their efforts well blocked. El Andaloussi had a shot well blocked by the Scottish keeper, who had to come out of his line to intercept after the Gibraltar player had broken free from his markers. This occurred just three minutes into the game.

Gibraltar finally found the net in the competition. With five minutes played, Alan Parker took advantage of a rebound from a Ramirez shot blocked after Pitaluga had broken free down the right, slicing through Scotland's defense open. This was Gibraltar's first goal in the group, setting them on the front foot in a match they needed to win to avoid finishing bottom of the table.

Scotland arrived at the final match having lost 4-1 against Malta and 3-1 against Switzerland. Gibraltar, however, had conceded 15 goals and had not been able to score in their previous two matches. Their very defensive approach in the earlier two matches had seen them conceding heavily early on. However, their match against Scotland was a total contrast, with Gibraltar being both physical and offensive in spirit. Scotland's early attempts to put pressure on Gibraltar met a fired-up side where even the slightest errors were receiving a strong response from their colleagues.

Gibraltar players were willing to put their bodies on the line, with at least three occasions before midway through the first half where players had thrown themselves in front of shots to block, increasing Scotland's frustrations as they saw their opportunities wasted.

It was interesting to note that the match was officiated by a female referee, a rare occurrence for Gibraltar.

Gibraltar's 18-year-old keeper Mifsud, brought in from the start once again, made a good save with seven minutes still to play in the first half, tipping a ball over the bar as it thundered towards the goal. A timeout called by Prietto saw Gibraltar momentarily pause Scotland’s pressure, aiding them in trying to find a way to the other end. Scotland missed firing in the final quarter of the court, providing Gibraltar with further confidence. A break by Ruiz from a long ball forced another save from Scotland’s keeper. Luckily for the keeper, the rebound which bounced off his defender fell short for the defender to clear just meters from the goal.

Scotland spent most of the first half complaining that they were being physically pulled down. Their claims were brushed aside by the referees, who warned instead that feigning a foul would end up punished with a yellow card. Tyson Ruiz stole the ball with five minutes to go in the first half, leaving himself one-on-one with the keeper. Keeping his composure, he made it two for Gibraltar, dealing Scotland a further blow.

Gibraltar maintained their valiant defensive posture as Scotland piled on the pressure, with bodies blocking shots as the Scots looked for a goal before halftime. Scotland were penalized for feigning a foul with two minutes left, with Ukrainian Mariia Myslovska not hesitating after seeing the clear dramatics from the Scotland player after some minor contact in a challenge. Turkey’s Kamil Çetin, having already warned players on two occasions, watched as Scotland's keeper saved them from conceding a third in the final twenty seconds, diving to save on the very line.

Gibraltar went into the halftime break with a two-goal lead, the first time they had led in group matches. Scotland started the half trying to set their pace on the match, but Ruiz was lucky not to get booked after grabbing onto a player and deliberately tumbling him just inches away from the referee.

The Scottish bench saw a yellow instead as they complained to the fourth referee, as Scotland seemed to be somewhat in disarray in their fluidity. This helped Gibraltar pause their attacks, forcing the Scots to try for goal from distance. The recently laid flooring was also proving to be somewhat slippery for both teams, with more than one slip from players as they turned sharply to get to the ball. The tournament had seen organizers lay the temporary wooden flooring just days ahead of the group matches.

Gibraltar started to settle into the match as the second half progressed, trying to keep their composure. A free kick in the third minute of the second half was fed to Tyson Ruiz, who hammered it into the top corner, giving the Scottish keeper little chance to reach it. Gibraltar went three goals ahead, turning the tables after entering the match as underdogs.

Gibraltar dug deep as Scotland piled on the pressure, with resolute defending putting their bodies in front of shots and frustrating Scotland, who had yet to test Mifsud. However, Gibraltar could not relax their guard, as Scotland were still more than capable of turning the match given half an opportunity. Scotland called a timeout with 14 minutes still to play as they continued to struggle to get a shot on target.

Scotland decided to play with a fly keeper to add pressure on Gibraltar, but the risk was shown within seconds as Gibraltar intercepted a pass and went for goal, although it went wide. The minutes ticked away, and it was Nick Castle who had the clearest chance to score, with a well-hit ball hitting the side netting as Scotland’s pressure with the fly keeper was reduced to a passing game with just eleven minutes left to play.

Gibraltar sat back deep, keeping a tight formation when Scotland had their fly keeper on the pitch, not allowing much space into dangerous areas. Scotland had few ideas on how to get past what was a very tight and disciplined defensive display from Gibraltar as they protected their three-goal lead.

Scotland finally broke through with a header at the far post from a corner, with McLaren receiving a yellow card after confronting the Gibraltar keeper immediately after the goal. Having pulled a goal back, Scotland continued with their fly keeper tactic. Gibraltar’s keeper nearly scored after collecting the ball and seeing an empty net, kicking towards goal but unfortunately missing by mere inches.

Gibraltar regained possession and with some short passing distribution, forced Scotland into their half, keeping them from introducing the fly keeper for a short while. Ramirez had a chance to get a fourth but was denied by the Scottish keeper, who blocked well after Rodriguez had set Ramirez free behind Scotland’s defense.

Regaining possession, Scotland returned to the fly keeper once again with five minutes still to play. Gibraltar defended well a free kick and set about regaining possession, rolling the ball around to keep possession. Tyson Ruiz was booked for a late challenge, which saw half the Scottish team coming up to challenge him. As tension rose, there were also bookings for both coaches, with a second yellow for Scotland and a direct red for the Gibraltar coach.

Parker missed a great chance to add to Gibraltar’s tally after stealing in the Gibraltar half and seeing the fly keeper and another player collide with each other. Rodriguez attempted to find the empty net, but a Scotland defender got a head to the ball. Scotland then saw a shot go wide from a meter from the far post as they wasted another opportunity to close the gap with three minutes left on the clock.

Some resolute defending saw a Gibraltar defender clear from the very line. The ball then reached Tyson Ruiz, who, with a short, quick run to the halfway line, sent the ball into an empty net to make it four goals for Gibraltar. Gibraltar, although the lowest-ranked in the group, finished third in the group, having successfully claimed three points with a 4-1 win against Scotland, equaling Malta’s success against the Scots and bettering that of Switzerland.
The match was to see two sending off in the final ten seconds as tensions heated towards the end.