Scotland lost 3-0 to Brazil at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida. (Image: Getty)
Scotland are looking at another tough World Cup group stage exit after being hurt by Vinicius Junior against Miami. Real Madrid forward Vini Junior scored two goals and conceded one, twice being denied a hat-trick by goalkeeper Angus Gunn. But Manchester United’s Matheus Cunha scored in the 60th minute to give Brazil a 3-0 victory, leaving Scotland hoping for goodwill elsewhere.
Scotland started the night in second place in the 12-team World Cup standings, but lost to Brazil and dropped to sixth. And all six teams below them still have one game left. This summer’s tournament has been expanded to 48 teams, meaning the top eight of the 12 teams will advance to the next stage. According to Opta, Scotland currently have a 42% chance of qualifying, but that odds are very likely to fall further as the World Cup’s other 10 groups settle in North America. Steve Clarke’s side sadly had only themselves to blame after paying the price for their defensive lapses as Scott McKenna’s blunder gave Brazil a 1-0 lead after seven minutes.
Jack Hendry was relieved when Vini Junior’s second goal was canceled out, but Gunn scored his second before the end of the first half when he latched on under Bruno Guimarães’ cross. And Cunha inflicted pain on the Scots this time.
Scott McTominay was Scotland’s biggest goal threat and had two headers saved by Alisson, but he was denied a goal that would have made it 3-1 in stoppage time. In the end, Scotland could only briefly threaten Brazil’s goal and never truly trouble Alisson.
The defeat left Scotland with three points in Group C, with Brazil and Morocco both finishing with seven points. Morocco defeated Haiti 4-2 in the final group match, putting the five-time champions at the top of the group on goal difference.
Despite losing 3-0, Clarke’s side are still desperate to reach the World Cup finals for the first time in Scotland’s history.
The Scots had failed to qualify on four previous occasions despite winning games, with the 1974 team picking up five points. Due to the large goal difference between Yugoslavia and Brazil, they were still unable to break through, but the goal difference may come back to haunt them here.
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Vinicius Junior scores two goals in the first half for Brazil in Miami. (Image: Getty)
Scotland players eviscerated in 3-0 loss to Brazil (Image: Getty)
After failing to score in the games against Morocco and Brazil, their final record was -3 and they are in a really dangerous situation. Their only goal in the group was a 1-0 win over Haiti in the opening game.
The final round currently sees Scotland face co-hosts and Group A winners Mexico in Mexico City next Wednesday. However, there are still many other group matches to be played, so the standings may change further.
Scotland midfielder John McGinn said after the game: “Obviously we were disappointed. To concede so many more goals at such bad times against a team that punishes 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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