England 6 Scotland 0: Jodie Taylor’s nets fine hat-trick as Lionesses embarrass Auld Enemy to make flying start to Euro 2017 campaign
Arsenal striker scores England's first finals treble since Gary Lineker in 1986 on night Scots will want to forget
JODIE TAYLOR’s hat-trick ensured England’s Euro 2017 opener was a page in their story that Scots would want to forget.
Ahead of the match the Lionesses were given a Scottish history lesson so they would know just how desperate their rivals would be to take down the Auld Enemy.
But Taylor put England in front on 10 minutes when she beat keeper Gemma Fay one-on-one in Utrecht, Holland.
The Arsenal striker notched again with a volley after a goal-line scramble 16 minutes later.
Ellen White was first to the ball to make it 3-0 after Jill Scott’s effort struck the crossbar just after the half-hour.
After the break Taylor picked up White's flick-on to lob Fay and become the first England women’s player to net a hat-trick at a major tournament.
Jordan Nobbs volleyed home with three minutes left and sub Toni Duggan headed in at the death to complete the rout.
The last England player to score a hat-trick at a major finals was Gary Lineker in the 1986 World Cup in Poland.
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Taylor said: “It's quite special. I wasn't aware it was the first hat-trick on the women's side in a major tournament so I'm pretty happy with that.
“I'm mostly pleased with the team performance and getting three points on the board.
“We've had great preparations and we're all together as a group and having fun.”
England’s next rivals in Group D will be Spain, who also downed local rivals on Wednesday with a 2-0 win over Portugal.
And striker White expects the Spaniards to provide a sterner test with they face off on Sunday.
She said: “To get six goals, a clean sheet and three points, we're delighted. It's a great team performance.
“My husband and mum and dad are out here supporting us with more family on the way for the second game against Spain.
“They are a very technically gifted team so it's going to be a different challenge and one we're excited by.
“We can take confidence and momentum from this game and we can't wait to face Spain and hopefully get another win.”