Caroline Weir produced a captain's performance with a superb hat-trick as Scotland thrashed Israel 6-0 to strengthen their bid to finish top of Women's World Cup qualifying Group B4.
The Real Madrid midfielder was at the heart of Scotland's dominant display in Budapest, helping Melissa Andreatta's side secure a crucial victory that keeps them ahead of Belgium on goal difference with one group match remaining.
Scotland took the lead through Erin Cuthbert, who curled an excellent effort into the net from the edge of the box before Weir doubled the advantage with a clinical finish.
After the break, Weir took complete control of the contest, scoring twice more to complete her hat-trick and underline her importance to the national team.
The 30-year-old, who has been a key player for Real Madrid over the past four years, could have made her final appearance for the Spanish giants last weekend as her contract is set to expire this summer.
Lauren Davidson and Kirsty Hanson added late goals as Scotland wrapped up an emphatic six-goal win.
Despite the convincing victory, Scotland were dealt a major injury concern when Chelsea midfielder Erin Cuthbert was stretchered off late in the match after going down clutching her knee following an innocuous challenge.
Head coach Melissa Andreatta admitted the extent of the injury remains unclear.
"You never want to see a player go down, but without any further information, I can't really comment. We'll just see how it pans out," she said.
Scotland have already secured a place in the Women's World Cup qualifying play-offs and now lead Group B4 on 11 points, narrowly ahead of Belgium on goal difference.
The two sides will meet again on Tuesday in the final round of group fixtures. Both matches are being played behind closed doors at Budapest's Bozsik Arena after UEFA ruled that international matches cannot currently be hosted in Israel due to security concerns.
With Belgium set to face Luxembourg — whom they defeated 6-0 on Friday — Scotland knew a convincing win was essential to maintain their advantage at the top of the group.
Scotland coach Melissa Andreatta hailed her captain's influence after another standout display.
"The performance was what we were looking for and we knew that if we took care of what we did with the ball, we'd put ourselves in the best position to get the result," said Andreatta.
"It was a dominant performance and that's what we'll focus on — how we can continue to be dominant in game two.
"Caroline leads from the front, even from midfield. She's a classy person and a classy player, and when the big moments come, she stands up."
Scotland will now look to replicate Friday's performance in Tuesday's decisive clash as they aim to secure top spot in the group and build momentum ahead of the play-offs.
