Caroline Weir hat-trick fires Scotland to 6-0 win over Israel as Cuthbert suffers knee injury

Caroline Weir scored a hat-trick and assisted the opening goal as Scotland demolished Israel 6-0 in Budapest on Tuesday, pushing their goal difference to 18 in Women’s World Cup qualifying League B Group 4. The result was overshadowed, however, by Erin Cuthbert being carried off late in the match with what appeared to be a serious knee injury.

Weir, the Real Madrid midfielder, was the driving force throughout. She teed up Cuthbert to nudge the ball past goalkeeper Rachel Steinschneider and fire home from the edge of the area in the 17th minute, before adding her own name to the scoresheet three minutes later. After Israel twice failed to clear a corner, Weir shifted the ball left with one foot and right with the other to skip past two defenders and thread a shot through a crowded penalty area.

Her second arrived in the 57th minute when an intricate passing move sent her running through the centre of Israel’s defence to slot home, and she completed her hat-trick from the penalty spot ten minutes later. Lauren Davidson and Kirsty Hanson added further goals late on to inflate the margin and push Scotland’s goal difference well clear of their nearest rivals.

The win leaves Melissa Andreatta’s side ten goals ahead of Belgium in the group standings. Belgium close out their campaign with two matches against bottom side Luxembourg, meaning Scotland’s superior goal difference is now a significant asset. Scotland face Israel again next week and will target another heavy victory to secure first place in the group, which carries a seeding advantage for the qualification play-offs.

The one significant concern from the evening is the condition of Cuthbert, the Chelsea midfielder who opened the scoring before being stretchered off in the closing stages. The nature of the injury was not confirmed in the immediate aftermath, but the manner of her departure raised fears over her availability for the final qualifier and potentially beyond.