Steve Clarke has finished his post-match interview. (Image: BBC)
Scotland manager Steve Clarke abruptly ended an interview with the BBC just minutes after his side lost to Brazil, ending their hopes of qualifying for the World Cup. The Scots knew that a draw against Miami would seal their place in the World Cup finals for the first time in their history. However, Vinicius Junior’s brace in the first half and a goal from Matheus Cunha meant they lost 3-0 in Miami, meaning their chances of playing in the round of 32 depend on favoritism elsewhere.
Scotland will still qualify as one of the best third-placed teams, but with a goal difference of -3, there is a good chance they will jump ahead as other countries play their remaining group games in North America over the next few days. “We’ve made things difficult for ourselves, that’s all,” head coach Clarke told BBC reporter Eilidh Barber on the pitch shortly after Scotland’s heartbreaking defeat. In response to the second question, he added: “We gave them a goal and gave them the game they wanted. It’s disappointing.”
Clarke was then asked for his thoughts on the anxious wait he and Scotland’s players are currently facing, a question he declined to answer. He replied, “I don’t want to think about that! I’m sorry, there’s no need to think about that,” and walked away from the screen.
The Beeb were then forced to refrain from appearing with Kelly Cates at their studio in Salford. However, Clark was allowed to leave the interview in the heat of the moment after another disappointing performance and result for his team. The players beat Haiti 1-0 in their Group C opener last week, then lost 1-0 to Morocco and then lost 3-0 to Brazil to the delight of the Tartans.
Later in the BBC broadcast, Clarke returned for a second long conversation with Babar, in which he said: “I think you saw their (Brazil’s) quality in the last third of the pitch. We didn’t do that tonight. We created some chances but we couldn’t convert them. To be honest, the best team won.”
“The players showed an incredible transformation after playing 90 minutes in that heat and humidity. But to compete at this level we have to get better. In fact, in the first four or five minutes we moved the ball very well and were able to settle into the game well.
“That’s when we make mistakes like that. You can’t do that at this level because you’re behind and it’s a long night.”
Asked to assess Scotland’s chances of progressing to the next round, Clarke said: “Yes, for me, for sure, I think we’ll go home. Only Scotland can win a great first game and be fifth in the world in the next two games and then sixth in the world! That’s the level we are at.”
Barbour concluded the interview by saying, “Steve, thank you so much. I hope to see you again!” Clark said, “Hopefully Ellie! Thank you.”
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Steve Clark was clearly irritated by the question he was asked (Image: BBC)
Steve Clarke walks away after being asked about Scotland’s anxious wait (Image: BBC)
Captain Andy Robertson, who was forced off at half-time with an injury, similarly told the Beeb: “We started the game well and kept pushing the ball up the pitch. They gave us a false sense of security and we thought we had more time on the ball.”
“Then we will be punished. We are down 1-0 so we have to fight back. But we knew we were playing against a really quality team. We just left the pitch and the first reaction is one of frustration, because we let ourselves down in certain moments. We just couldn’t afford it.”
“Sometimes we were comfortable on the ball, sometimes we got into dangerous areas. We had some chances. We can’t afford to make the mistakes we’re making against these teams at this stage.
“Unfortunately, we’re being punished for almost every mistake we made. That’s the most frustrating thing. Sometimes we played great, but then you go out and lose 3-0 and it’s not good enough. It’s a frustrating night. We only have ourselves to blame. Time will tell.”
“We need to take a day or two and see what happened. We didn’t want to put ourselves in the position of watching every game and hoping for favor and expecting this team to score or anything like that.
“We’ve put ourselves in a really difficult situation. If you ask me now, I don’t think it’s enough. I don’t think we’ve done enough. But over time, maybe I’ll be proven wrong and we’ll have to try again. I hope that happens.”
Scotland captain Andy Robertson forced off at half-time with injury (Image: Getty)
John McGinn addresses Scotland fans after defeat (Image: Getty)
“The next few days are going to be terribly long, but this is the situation we have found ourselves in and we have to deal with it.”
Meanwhile, midfielder John McGinn added: “Obviously we were disappointed. To concede another goal at a bad time against a team that punishes us with quality… We had some chances to score ourselves, which would have been important at the end, but now we just have to wait.”
“You can see that the players are gutted. We weren’t as good tonight, but we gave it our all. The players are empty. We have to see over the next few days if we want to get through. We gave ourselves a more difficult chance. I would say it’s unlikely now, but time will tell.”
“In an instant, Brazil hurt you. They allowed us to play and at this level you are punished if you make a mistake. This is the top level. We were probably lucky that the goal was disallowed. We know we have to improve even more. Now we have to wait and see.”
“It’s a bit raw at the moment, but we’re grateful for the support of our fans. We know how difficult it is to be here and we hope the journey isn’t over. They were really great and if we were to go again, we would go again.”
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