Depleted Scotland Under-21s easily beaten by Wales in final match before Euro 2025 qualifiers

Scotland Under-21s were comfortably defeated 3-0 by Wales in a friendly match in Spain on Sunday afternoon.

Liam Morrison captained Scotland Under-21s in their 3-0 defeat by Wales.

Both teams are building up to the start of the 2025 European Championship qualifiers, which begin in the summer, and it is Wales who can take confidence from this encounter at the Pinatar Arena in Murcia, although Scotland were missing Josh Doig, Hayden Hackney and Kieron Bowie, who all left the camp after their narrow loss to Sweden on Thursday.

Josh Farrell, who plays for Spanish side Villanovense, opened the scoring for Wales in the 28th minute, and debutant Joe Low, currently on loan at Walsall from Bristol City, doubled the lead before half-time. The scoring was then wrapped up early in the second half by Swansea forward Josh Thomas.

Scotland manager Scot Gemmill handed the captain’s armband to Bayern Munich defender Liam Morrison in the absence of Doig, while Man City forward Dire Mebude was included alongside club team-mate Cieran Slicker in goal. The defeat follows on from Thursday’s 3-2 reversal by Sweden, also in Spain, with Scotland now on a four-game winless streak.

Gemmill’s players are next in action in September when they begin their tilt to qualify for the European Championships in 2025. The Scots are in a tough group alongside Spain, Kazakhstan, Belgium, Malta and Hungary, with the first match scheduled for September 12 with a visit to Spain. The first home matches come as part of a double header when they take on the Hungarians and the Maltese in October.

The top team qualifies directly for the tournament in Slovakia, while the second best team has a chance of reaching the play-offs depending on ranking.