Shelley Kerr will not change goalposts after Scotland's win over Brazil
Wednesday 10 April 2019 17:19, UK
Shelley Kerr has shot down suggestions Scotland can consider themselves dark horses for the World Cup despite their historic win over Brazil.
Arsenal midfielder Kim Little scored the game's only goal to secure victory for the Scots against the 10th-ranked team in the world.
Despite a strong display, Kerr insists their goals have not changed ahead of this summer's tournament in France.
"I don't think we're dark horses," she said.
"There is a reason we have a ranking system with FIFA. We have to be mindful of that.
"But there is absolutely no doubt that on our day we'll give these other nations a game.
"Our target remains the same - to get out of the group stages."
The win was just Scotland's second over Brazil at any level with their first coming when their men's under-20's team beat them in the 2017 Toulon Tournament.
Scotland still have one game to play before the World Cup when they host Jamaica at Hampden Park on May 28, the first time they will play at the national stadium.
They then open the World Cup by playing England Women in Nice on June 9. The rest of their group is made up of Argentina and Japan.
With the tournament in sight, Kerr is hoping her players can stay composed.
She added: "We've got fantastic human beings in our team who are very, very grounded.
"We had a debrief right after the game and the word complacent was raised. We cannot get complacent because this was only a friendly game.
"I won't allow them to do that but the girls are also fantastic at having self-awareness about where they are at as a national team.
"There is absolutely no doubt that no-one will get carried away with this result.
"The message after the game was that there are still things they need to improve on. You are never the finished article in life, whatever you do."
With players dotted around the WSL and SWSL Kerr believes that will be beneficial in the nation's first appearance at a Women's World Cup.
"A lot of the girls are involved in professional environments now and are used to playing in big arenas but that's the reason why we took the game here," she said.
"Playing at your national stadium doesn't get any better, especially in your final game before a World Cup.
"It will be a special moment for the players and I would urge everyone to come and watch our team prepare before they go to France.
"The players deserve a really good send off and we're hoping for a record crowd."
