Even in defeat, there are special moments on the football field stay with you forever.

That’s certainly the case for Hayley Lauder, who tasted her first action at a major tournament after coming on as a second-half substitute in Scotland’s 2-1 defeat by Portugal in Rotterdam on Sunday.

Lauder replaced Fiona Brown midway through the second period, having had her participation at UEFA Women's Euro 2017 threatened altogether after suffering a minor hamstring tear in a friendly against Republic of Ireland on July 7.

But having recovered quicker than expected, the 27-year-old graced the turf at Het Kasteel, and admitted she was bowled over by the atmosphere of the occasion, despite eventually coming out on the losing side.

“It was brilliant,” said the Glasgow City winger. “The girls want to say a massive thank you to the supporters who have travelled over. Last night was incredible, we had about 1,300 fans there and it was quite emotional.

“You get an extra buzz from that and it was brilliant.

“I feel good to be honest, it’s nice to be back out on the pitch with the girls, and hopefully we can build on that on Thursday [against Spain].

“We scored our first goal at a major championship, that’s something we can take great confidence from, I think we showed we were better as a unit.

“We worked better and we worked hard for each other, and I think that’s what we’ll take into the Spain game.”

Scotland are still in the tournament after England’s 2-0 victory over Spain, and Signeul’s side must mirror that scoreline if they are to progress to the latter stages.

However, they came within moments of being dumped out of the tournament altogether, after England’s Ellen White conceded a late penalty with the score at 1-0.

A draw would have sent Scotland packing, but referee Carina Vitulano changed her mind and gave the decision the other way. Jodie Taylor added England’s second late on to seal victory. 

Signeul has repeatedly hailed her players’ belief and resilience, and has called for one final effort from her troops, as well as a slice of luck, to give them an unlikely passage into the quarter-finals.

“If you look at our trend, maybe we’re not showing we are capable of beating Spain, but we are still believing in what we’re doing,” said Signeul.

“We know we have quality in the team and we know everything is possible.

“We still believe and we can’t give up now. It’s far too early [to give up], and we need a little bit of luck.

“We must hold our heads high, be proud, and leave what is behind us. We can’t do anything about it, it’s about looking forward and being positive, going out there and being brave.

“Maybe our luck changed with that penalty that was called and taken back, that was very good for us and bad for Spain – hopefully that was a change!”

SSE is an official partner of the Scotland’s Women’s team and is proud to be the energy behind women's football, supporting the game from grassroots through to international level. Follow us at @YourSSE