Brazil get the second half started. Tierney has replaced his captain Robertson.
Half-time postbag (featuring: Grief! Ennui! Repressed memories! Grudging acceptance! Depression! Gallows humour!) “At 64 years old. I thought I had counted all the ways that a Scotland team could induce heartache. Turns out there are more ways” – Colin Livingstone
“I’m in a hotel room in Guatemala city,. there’s 100 channels on the TV but I can only find the Morocco-Haiti game. From following your MBM I think that’s a good thing” – Kevin Watson
“I have a vivid memory of watching the 1982 version of the Scots in my neighbour’s kitchen in Kirkcaldy. The Scots had to get a result and threw goals at the USSR to pile on the challenge. They finally came to life (if my addled memory serves) in the final kicks of the match and lost 2-2. Yeah yeah.. that was a draw, but out they went (as always) on goal difference.. that’s a loss. Come on: play like you sing your wonderful anthem!” – Robi Polgar
“At this point we’ll take going out at the group stages with our dignity intact,. I’m sure we’ll Scotland that up too'” – Rose Hanley-Nickolls
“I omitted the part about the two of us (teenagers) BAWLING OUR EYES OUT in that kitchen that night. Scotland.. such a challenge” – Robi Polgar
“Well that went well. We’ll always have Dave Narey’s toe poke in 82 I suppose. And Buckfast” – Simon McMahon
“Brazil better watch out now, they’ve made us angry” – Colin Livingstone
Steven Naismith, Scotland’s assistant coach, speaks to the BBC: “It’s tough obviously … now the second game in a row we’ve lost an early goal … really difficult … they’ve shown their threat … we need to regroup … be better defensively but we need to carry a a threat … it’s similar to Morocco, we’ve not tested the goal. need to do that in the second half.”
A much more reserved version of the half-time rant delivered by his opposite number with England, Anthony Barry, against Croatia. But he’s not happy either.
Half-time entertainment. Because you want to experience all of that again, right? Erm.
Oh Scotland. The architects of their own downfall, pt XXXVIII in an ongoing series.
45 min +6: Robertson sends a free kick into the Brazilian mixer from the left. It’s only half-cleared, and Shankland has a crack from the edge of the box. The shot is blocked, and Brazil counter a Scotland team light at the back. Rayan dinks the ball over the head of Robertson,. he’s one on one with Gunn … who sticks out a hand to stop a shot heading for the bottom right. That really would have been that.
45 min +4: Scotland had a couple of chances to clear the ball earlier in that Brazil attack. Once again, faffing around at the back has cost them dearly.
… and it’s now 0-2 for Brazil. A cross floated in from the right by Gabriel. Gunn comes out to claim but misses it,. Vini Jr can’t miss with a header from a couple of yards.
45 min +3: Patterson has a grab at Vini Jr’s shirt. is pretty fortunate not to go into the book. Meanwhile it’s now 2-2 between Morocco and Haiti!
45 min +2: Gannon-Doak dribbles into the Brazil box from the left. He can’t decide whether to shoot or pass, and eventually falls over. Casemiro clears. Gannon-Doak claims a penalty, though his heart’s not really in the plea.
45 min +1: The first of six additional first-half minutes. What Scotland would do to hear the whistle now, get in, and regroup.
45 min: Vini Jr accellerates into the box down the right, reaching the byline. cutting back for Cunha, who tries to force home from a tight angle. Hendry hooks off the line, and while the ball nearly pings back off Gunn and in, it squeaks wide right. And nothing comes from the resulting corner.
44 min: Vini Jr runs into Gannon-Doak and falls over. He’s not happy about it. He wants a free kick, but isn’t getting one. The pair exchange words. In the meantime, Haiti retake the lead against Morocco with an absolute pearler: it’s 2-1. Not sure what this says about Scotland, given the first two results. There’s good and bad in everyone, perhaps?
42 min: Cunha strolls down the inside-left channel and, upon nearing the left-hand edge of the Scotland D, opens his body. aims a sidefoot towards the bottom right. Gunn is beaten all ends up again, but the ball flies harmlessly wide.
41 min: Morocco have equalised against Haiti: it’s 1-1. Not that any of this makes a jot of difference to Scotland. But it does to Brazil, who are still winning the group as things stand.
39 min: Time. space for McLean out on the left, with blue shirts in the middle … but he overhits it. Goal kick. Scotland are almost as jittery in attack as they are in defence.
38 min: Rayan rasps a shot over the bar from a tight angle on the right. Gunn wouldn’t have got to it, had it been on target.
37 min: Vinicius Junior dribbles hard down the left. reaches the byline, only for Patterson to whisk the ball off his toe at the last instance. Scotland look extremely uncomfortable every time the Vini Jr and Rayan run at them.
35 min: Rayan bustles his way down the inside-right channel and nearly breaks into the box. McKenna and Ferguson do just about enough to close the door, just in time. Ferguson flicks the ball out for a corner, but the referee awards a goal kick! Rayan can’t believe it, and Ferguson does his level best to keep a straight face. Scotland can’t complain about the officials tonight; not yet, anyway.
33 min: Ferguson has a whack from distance. His shot is deflected wide left. Another corner, a third in quick succession. But Hendry wrestles Guimaraes to the floor, and the whistle relieves the pressure on Brazil. “That disallowing is amazing,” writes Rory Munro. “Presumably because the VAR was told by Fifa to keep it vaguely interesting until after the second hydration break.”
32 min: Nothing comes of the corner. But this is indeed better from Scotland, who have clearly been given the what-for during that hydration break.
31 min: McGinn sends Robertson scampering down the left again. He wins another corner. “Man, that Buckfast I borrowed from McKenna and Hendry before kick off is good,” hiccups Simon McMahon.
29 min: Robertson wins a corner down the left. The ball’s worked to the other flank, where McGinn delivers long. McKenna wins a header at the far stick, but can’t connect properly, or send it goalwards. That’s a good chance spurned. Better from Scotland, though it couldn’t have gotten much worse.
27 min: There was a double let-off for Scotland and Hendry there, in fact. Because once Vini Jr had stripped him of possession. Hendry momentarily grasped for the striker’s waist, thinking about hauling him down, NFL style. But he thought better of it and let Vini slither away. In another world, Vini bought the foul, there’s no VAR intervention,. that could have been a red card and penalty. But here we are.
25 min: … and that’s drinks. You may well need one too. A huge let-off, and Steve Clarke needs to knock a few heads together, double-quick.
The referee has a look at the monitor, then overturns the goal! That’s a result for Scotland, because it looked like Hendry might have instigated the contact. kicked Vini Jr rather than the other way round. But here we are. Scotland were due one after the McTominay penalty incident against Morocco, to be fair.
23 min: … but hold on, VAR is getting involved. Has Vini Jr nicked Hendry’s ankle seconds before taking the ball away from him?
Another goal, another fiasco. Hendry waltzes out from the back into space. There’s nobody to pass to. He eventually pings it upfield to McLean, who doesn’t want it and returns the pass. Hendry dithers, facing his own goal. Vinicius Junior takes it off his toe and slots it into the bottom right. Oh my word.
20 min: It’s probably safe to say it won’t be to Scotland’s benefit if this game turns into a basketball affair. as it did exactly one minute ago.
19 min: … nothing occurs. In fact Gannon-Doak briefly has the opportunity to launch a counter. He holds the ball up instead, then finds McTominay … who ships possession, allowing Vini Jr to romp down the right. wheech a low speculative shot across Gunn and wide left.
18 min: Brazil turn it up a notch, and Vini Jr nearly gets past Patterson on the left. Patterson does enough to stop him breaking into the box, but at the expense of a corner. From which …
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