The goal may well prove to be pivotal as Scotland look to get themselves to their first World Cup since 2019, but for Emslie the significance of the moment outweighed anything to do with the bigger picture.

Rather, it was an exceptional milestone as she marked her first goal since the birth of her son, Jamie, just 10 months ago.

The infant was woken in the stands by her mum screaming in celebration as the ball hit the back of the net after Emslie had come off the bench to get involved in the tie.

Little wonder there were tears all round in the emotional aftermath of the goal.

It is no mean feat to be playing elite-level sport so soon after giving birth. It may look like a seamless return, but the physical – and mental – demands of carrying, delivering and rearing a tiny human are anything but straightforward.

Many of us would still have been “baby-brained” and struggling to squeeze into pre-maternity jeans at the stage Emslie is at just now on her motherhood journey. And what was equally notable about the reaction to her goal was just how chuffed her team-mates were for her. The likes of Erin Cuthbert and Caroline Weir were quick to speak of their pride in watching their long-standing international colleague fluently juggle the demands of parenting with football.

Scotland have been progressive at enabling players who have had children to return to the squad. Pedro Martinez Losa’s camp allowed Emma Mitchell to join with baby Innes in tow, while Emslie’s son and her mum were included in Mel Andreatta’s camp.

With Emslie based in Los Angeles, where she plays for Angel City, it would have been a lot to ask to leave her small son. There has to be an appreciation for the steps taken to facilitate her inclusion in the squad and ensure that she was able to keep her baby close by while still focusing on what were two huge games for Andreatta’s squad.

But the biggest pat on the back has to go to the player herself. Like Lisa Robertson at Celtic, too, it is hard graft to get back into peak physical shape after the rigours of pregnancy. One also suspects it will have been a fairly solitary field to plough with so few players managing the demands of caring for babies and their careers.

Scotland will need to produce the biggest result in their history now if they are to go on and book their place in Brazil next summer. They will have to see off Sweden if they are to get there – one of the major powerhouses of the women’s game – but if they pull it off, one suspects that baby Jamie will be kicking every ball with them.

AND ANOTHER THING

Being a professional footballer feels like the end goal for those who aspire to a career in the game, but what does that mean if you can’t pay your mortgage?

FIFPRO’s latest Global Employment Report has said that 49 per cent of the female players they surveyed have considered quitting football, with financial pressures as the main reason.

Low wages – many still not hitting minimum wage – working on insecure short-term contracts and financial uncertainty are all reasons cited for mental pressures that are bubbling under the surface. Only 66 per cent of those surveyed were paid across 12 months of the year.

So many players still juggle football with their careers simply because they have to. In fact, in the SWPL it would be more common to have a job than not. Celtic’s captain, Kelly Clark, still splits her time between her accountancy office and Barrowfield and she would not be considered in any way unusual.

When the club competed in the Champions League a few years back and when she was involved in international duty, she either used holidays or made time back up. It is pressure that would be far removed from a male player performing at a similar level.

Frankie Brown, head of research and strategy for women’s football at FIFPRO, points out that there is a substantial gap not only between the top five leagues and the rest but also within the leagues themselves.

With women’s football on course to become a billion-dollar industry by 2027 and the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil next summer predicted to be the most watched and biggest revenue-generating women’s tournament ever, FIFPRO has called upon FIFA to put in financial safeguarding measures with minimum standards for contracts, pensions, and health.

AND FINALLY

It was good to see a decent crowd inside the Marbill Coaches stadium on Tuesday evening as Scotland set themselves up for the World Cup play-off final against Sweden.

But while the energy around the evening was to be welcomed, there is still some way to go when it comes to the promotion of the women’s game.

When Scotland played in the Czech Republic last week, the game was shown only on BBC Alba. At one point, with TV pictures frozen, commentators were forced to refresh their phones in order to give updates to viewers.

Given the magnitude of the game and what was at stake, it did feel as though the coverage fell short of what would be expected at this level.