Ewan Murray’s report from Miami is in. Here it is. Congratulations to Brazil for topping Group C,. commiserations to Scotland … though fingers crossed, it’s not over quite yet, and you just never know. Thanks for reading this MBM.
Steve Clarke has calmed down and, more rueful this time, he’s back out for another word with the BBC. “You saw their quality in the final third … we didn’t have that tonight … we created some chances … but didn’t take them … let’s be honest, the best team won … the shift the players put in … outstanding … but we have to be better if we want to compete at this level … we were settling into the game all right. then we make a mistake like that … you can’t do that … it makes it a long night … for me, for sure, I think we’re going home … only Scotland can get a winnable first game and then get number five in the world and number six in the world as their next two games … that’s the level we’re at.”
A quick word with Matheus Cunha: “Our coach has given us confidence … the shirts wear heavy … so many idols … we try to convince everyone [we are worthy] to represent the shirt.”
Scotland captain Andrew Robertson’s interview with the BBC lasts a little longer than his manager’s. “Frustration … making mistakes … we started the game well … we were keeping the ball … pushed up the pitch … they put us in a false sense of security … we thought we had more time on the ball than we did … we got punished … then you have to try to fight back against a real quality team … in certain moments we let ourselves down … we couldn’t quite afford to do that … at times we were comfortable on the ball … got in dangerous areas … a couple of chances … at this stage against these teams we can’t afford to make these mistakes … it’s not good enough … frustrating. we’ve only got ourselves to blame.”
As for the upcoming interminable wait: “Time will tell… take a day or two to see … as a collective we didn’t want to put ourselves in a position of having to watch every game. hope for favours … if you ask me now, I don’t think it’s enough. I don’t think we’ve done enough … time will tell, maybe I’ll be proved wrong. we’ll get another shot … I hope that’s the case … the next couple of days will be horrible and long … we have to deal with it.”
Post-match postbag. “Scotland weren’t all that bad. If not for some excellent keeping by Alisson they might have had two goals” – Zafar Sobhan
“You’ve got to hand it to Scotland. No matter what innovations Fifa make to the tournament rules. they’ll still find new ways to break your heart” – Justin Kavanagh
“Is that the manager? That’s like a director complaining that his funny actors didn’t make his rubbish jokes sound funny. And walking off is pathetic. You can be emotional. still stand up for your players, rather than look like a bloke who’s just lost his giro betting on them” – Chris Finnegan’s mum, as reported by Chris Finnegan
“Ancelotti has got Brazil playing like Real Madrid. If they get Raphinha back. a few cameos from Neymar, Carlo at the wheel, they’re contenders for sure” – Brendan Murphy
“Meanwhile, in the women’s World Cup, four Brazilian players have scored hat-tricks,. they’ve yet to win the trophy” – Kári Tulinius
“Ah, Jesus. There’s always 2054, eh?” – James Humphries
A very emotional Scotland boss Steve Clarke speaks to the BBC. “We made it difficult for ourselves … that’s it … we gave them the goals … we gave them the game they wanted … disappointing.”
He’s then asked about the upcoming wait to see whether Scotland will scrape through anyway. “Ah I was waiting … I don’t even think about that … sorry … I don’t even think about that.”
And then he’s off. Interview over.
John McGinn speaks to the BBC. “Gutted, obviously … lose more goals at poor times … against a team that can punish you … we had a few chances to get a goal ourselves … we have to wait now … we were short on quality but we gave it absolutely everything … the lads are empty … it’s unlikely now, I would say, but we’ll see … this is the top level. if you make mistakes, you get punished … we were probably fortunate with the goal that got disallowed … we have to be better … we need to wait and see … it’s a bit raw at the minute … we appreciate the support of the fans … we know how difficult it is to be here … hopefully the journey’s not over … if we’ve to go again, we go again.”
… those survival statistics quoted by the BBC, courtesy of Opta, have been updated. And at the moment. a team on three points with a minus-three goal difference is given a 42 percent chance of squeaking through to the knockouts via this third-place malarkey. Gotta say, that looks pretty generous given Scotland’s current position,. numbers were never my strong point, so let’s go with it. On the BBC. Kelly Cates says that Scotland might not know their fate until Algeria play Austria in the early hours of Sunday morning. As you wait, can you ration yourself to two fingernails a day?
1 Bosnia. Herzegovina 4pts (5-6) -1GD (three games played) 2 Sweden 3pts (6-6) 0GD (two games played) 3 Croatia 3pts (3-4) -1GD (two games) 4 Algeria 3pts (2-4) -2GD (two games) Team conduct -1 5 Paraguay 3pts (2-4) -2GD (two games) Team conduct -11 6 Scotland 3pts (1-2) -3GD (three games) 7 Cape Verde 2pts (2-2) 0GD (two games) 8 Belgium 2pts (1-1) 0GD (two games) ------------- 9 Czechia 1pt (2-3) -1GD (two games) 10 DR Congo 1pt (1-2) -1GD (two games) 11 Ecuador 1pt (0-1) -1GD (two games) 12 Senegal 0pt (3-6) -3GD (two games)
A lovely moment as Scotland captain Andy Robertson embraces his (now former) Liverpool team-mate Alisson. They both wave at someone they know in the stand. Robertson then goes around the Brazilian team, congratulating them on an easy victory. Brazil were a class above, though Scotland didn’t help themselves with some egregious errors, ones to file away alongside Miller. Hansen in 1982 and Jim Leighton in 1990. The Scots line up to acknowledge the support of the Tartan Army. who will no doubt party tonight in Miami regardless. But after that, is the party over? Nobody knows yet, because …
And that’s it. Scotland are on the precipice. But they’re not done for quite yet. An excruciating few days of hoping and praying stretch out ahead.
90 min +6: So close to a consolation that would make so much difference to Scotland. But it wasn’t to be.
90 min +5: Ferguson sends the free kick into the mixer, earning a corner. He goes across to take it himself, from the left. Brazil don’t clear it. Ralston dribbles down the left. cuts back for McTominay, who tries to force the ball past Alisson, but the keeper spins to drop on the ball.
90 min +4: Brazil stroke the ball around. Then Martinelli faffs around and is stripped by Ferguson. He hauls him down with Scotland planning to break. A free kick, but strangely no booking. That’s neither here nor there for Scotland, though; can they make something of the set piece?
90 min +2: Scotland’s free kick is a waste of time. Vini Jr tries to counter, and release Neymar, but Ralston blocks. It’s 4-2 to Morocco versus Haiti, by the way.
90 min +1: Shankland is bowled over, 30 yards out. It’s a foul, and drawing it is his last act of the evening. He and McGinn are replaced by Curtis and Adams.
90 min: There will be six additional minutes.
89 min: A long cross into the Brazil box from the left. Ralston tries to volley home, but no McTominay he. Then the ball goes up the other end, and Christie is booked for a foul on Vini Jr. Nothing comes of the resulting free kick. “Another goal either way makes no difference,” writes Peter Roy. “Statistically it may be 60% of 40% based on other results to come, but it’s SCOTLAND, they could be 99% likely. everything would still conspire against them.”
88 min: Thinking about that Brazil hat-trick thing again. Put another way: they’ve won five World Cups since someone last scored one for them at a finals. Such a weird stat.
86 min: … Gabriel attempts to McTominay a spectacular volley goalwards. But it’s blocked.
85 min: What a difference a goal would make to Scotland. They’d still have a 66.8% chance of progressing with a two-goal loss. It’s just 49.2% as is. And if they concede another, it’d be only 38.7%. And now Vini Jr has won a corner down the left, from which …
83 min: Fabinho is booked for skittling an in-flight McLean. The free kick leads to a short period of Scotland pressure. ends with Tierney clanking into a defender when attempting to volley goalwards.
82 min: Both teams make a double change. Sandro and Endrick come on for Rayan and Santos, while Ralston and Christie replace Gannon-Doak and Patterson.
81 min: Danilo crosses low from the right. Vini Jr meets at the far stick but sky-slices over the bar. Brazil getting closer and closer to a fourth; Vini Jr getting closer and closer to that elusive hat-trick.
79 min: Vini Jr zips in from the left. tries to surprise Gunn with a shot towards his near post. The keeper does well to turn around for a corner, from which nothing comes. Vini Jr wants that first Brazilain World Cup finals hat-trick since 1958!
78 min: Danilo arrives late on McGinn. He’s already booked, so from now on in will be severely testing the referee’s patience.
76 min: … and Shankland meets it, heading over. At which point. to wild cheers from those in the stand bedecked in yellow, Cunha makes way for the returning hero Neymar. Scotland have met this dude before.
75 min: Tierney barges down the left yet again, this time winning a corner off Rayan. Ferguson sends the set piece into a crowded box; Alisson comes through the crowd to punch powerfully clear. But Scotland come again, and McLean’s presence forces Fabinho into the concession of another corner. Ferguson to send it in from the left again.
73 min: Another fine Tierney cross from the left. He’s been Scotland’s best player since coming on. Shankland tries to spin and shoot on the left-hand edge of the six-yard box. He doesn’t connect properly but McTominay comes in behind to shovel a snapshot over the bar from close range.
71 min: We go again. “Is gifting them goals. then being run ragged by Brazil enough humiliation or is it worse that you’re a poor enough team that Ancelloti thinks that Neymar Jr could possibly have a run out?” wonders Nick Trim. Harsh but fair.
70 min: … and yes I know the lyric is about their lager and not the tinnies of Export. But the point, if there is one, stands.
68 min: … and that’s bevvies. McEwan’s according to this. Don’t tell Primal Scream and Irvine Welsh. They’ll have one of those Brahmas.
66 min: Brazil make a double change. Casemiro and Paqueta make way for Martinelli of Arsenal, and erstwhile Liverpool midfielder Fabinho.
64 min: … the ball’s worked right to left. Tierney crosses. McTominay heads. Alisson parries yet again. If nothing else, it can be said that Scotland have given it a good go in this second half. They’ve been found sadly wanting at the back, though.
63 min: Ferguson curls powerfully towards the top right. Alisson is forced to tip over and around the frame of his goal. And from the resulting corner …
62 min: Tierney one-twos with McGinn down the left. is scythed inches outside the Brazil box by Danilo, who goes into the book. Another inch infield, and that was a penalty. Just a free kick, which Ferguson will take.
McLean is brushed off the ball by Guimaraes with absurd ease. He enters the box, draws Gunn, and lays off to Cunha on his right. Cunha passes into the bottom right, and Scotland’s World Cup coat is now hanging on a shoogly peg.
59 min: Brazil are after a third. Rayan has a shot blocked. The ball rebounds to Paqueta, who aims a curler towards the top right but sends the ball way off target.
58 min: That Brazil hat-trick stat is wild. And there are only two others scored in history! For the record, they were notched by Leônidas against Poland in 1938. Ademir versus Sweden during their ill-fated 1950 final group campaign.
56 min: McLean barrels into the Brazil box from the right, chasing a Shankland flick. Gabriel brushes his back, so he goes over. But there’s not enough in that for a penalty. I mean, you’ve seen them given, but only to everyone’s spluttering disbelief. It would have been super-soft.
54 min: Vinicius Junior sends a screamer goalwards from the best part of 30 yards, out on the left. Gunn is behind it all the way. Vini Jr wants that hat-trick. He’d be the first Brazilian to bag one at a finals since Pelé in the 1958 semi against France!
53 min: Patterson drives into the Brazil box from the right and tumbles. He claims a penalty but there’s nothing doing.
52 min: Paqueta sends Vinicius Junior into space down the inside-left channel. The striker can’t poke the ball past Gunn, though, and that’s another fine intervention by the Scotland keeper.
51 min: That was better from Scotland, though. Realistically, they’ll not be winning this game. It’s almost as realistic to say they won’t get a draw. But if they can limit the damage to the goal difference … although … “Sell your house. everything in it and then place all the money on Scotland being the ninth best third-placed team,” writes Mick McCann with the supreme confidence of a man who knows history has his back.
49 min: Tierney crosses from the left. An inviting ball that McTominay rises to meet. He plants a header goalwards from ten yards … but it’s straight at Alisson, who claims without fuss.
47 min: Scotland haven’t earned a point at a World Cup finals after falling two goals behind since. aforementioned 2-2 draw with the USSR at Espana 82. This is the last time Scotland came from behind to win a World Cup finals match …
Brazil get the second half started. Tierney has replaced his captain Robertson.
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