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Brazil expose brutal truth that Scotland are not good enough
Scotland 0-3 Brazil
The tragicomic history of Scotland’s World Cup campaigns has another unfortunate entry. Miami, June 24, 2006. Losing to Brazil might well have been expected. Giving up goals like this was embarrassing. What another calamity. What another sign of their psychological frailty – and lack of belief – on this stage. We have seen this movie several times before.
They handed, of all people, Vinícius Júnior two goals in the first half with woeful defending – after passes in their own penalty area were intercepted, were bullied for a third, could have conceded more and almost folded. If anything Brazil let them off the hook.
Sadly it was a game, in the heat and humidity of Florida, in which their big names – Scott McTominay, John McGinn and Andrew Robertson – wilted or were at fault.
Robertson exited at half-time, injured, with his ankle iced but it was a poor evening for him while McGinn was bypassed. McTominay eventually had Scotland’s best two chances – and was denied by Alisson from a header – but before that he regularly lost possession and appeared off the pace. He did not play like Serie A’s best.
Such is the unsatisfactory nature of this tournament’s format that Scotland do not know whether they will remain at the World Cup.
Despite such a heavy defeat, they still have a chance of finishing as one of the best third-placed nations and limp into the last 32 and the knockout stages for the first time. Even if that would be a notable achievement, it does not feel remotely satisfactory.
Not least because they will also probably have to wait until the group stages are completed this weekend to find out their fate. Which cannot be right for them or, more importantly, their supporters. If they did go through, they would be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the expanded 48-team format.
“For sure I think we’re going home,” Steve Clarke, Scotland head coach, said, which sounded unnecessarily defeatist but maybe revealed a little of his mindset. “Only Scotland can get a winnable first game and then get number five and six in the world,” he added, referencing Morocco and Brazil’s Fifa seedings. But that does not mean you have to make it easy for them.
Under Clarke Scotland have reached three tournaments – which is good – but have played nine games, won one (Haiti), drawn three and scored just four goals.
McGinn also talked as if the game was up and Scotland were heading out. “We fell short on quality tonight,” he admitted. “It’s unlikely [to qualify] but we’ll wait and see.”
For now Scotland will hang around, but their performances have ultimately not matched those of their fans, firstly in Boston and here in Miami. The fans have been among the stars of this World Cup with their traffic cones and tartan. And drinking.
No Scotland, no party? Maybe, though that eye-catching, heart-warming invasion has masked a team who are not good enough and a nation that needs to rethink its approach to developing footballers, what it wants from the sport and how seriously it takes it. Bravehearts? Maybe it is time to move on.
Scotland is a small country but one with the richest of football heritages. Not that they carry themselves like that. Where is the plan?
Yes, it was against Brazil but this iteration is not the force of old. Not the force that Scotland failed to beat in four previous World Cups.
In 1974, it was a goalless draw and a Billy Bremner miss away from a win. In 1982 Scotland even scored first – with that David Narey toe-poke – before being overwhelmed 4-1. In 1990 there was a late Jim Leighton blunder when a draw would have seen them through; in 1998 it was a Tommy Boyd own goal. And now this. It is cruel.
Scotland have so often snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. But it usually involves tripping up against the lesser countries (Iran, Costa Rica, etc) before being heroically – or chaotically – beaten by the big ones. This time they defeated Haiti but then lost to Morocco and Brazil and failed to give it a go.
It looked like they would, with a more attacking line-up and a confident start. But while Ben Gannon-Doak did well, after Clarke bowed to pressure and started the winger, those around the 20-year-old did not and striker Lawrence Shankland barely had a touch with just four in Brazil’s area.
The nature of the goals was shocking. This was like Alan Hansen and Willie Miller running into each other to concede against the then Soviet Union in 1982, which ended in a draw, when a win was needed. And out went Scotland on goal difference.
Again it was defenders at fault. For the first there was a terrible mistake by Scott McKenna whose pass was cut out by the Bournemouth teenager Rayan with the ball running to an unmarked Vinícius, who easily rounded goalkeeper Angus Gunn to score.
It was the second game in a row that Scotland had surrendered an early goal and it was almost two when Vinícius found the net again, after Jack Hendry stumbled, but it was ruled out after a VAR review. It was deemed he fouled the defender but maybe Hendry got lucky.
But Vinícius did score again on half-time after Robertson’s pass, again inside his own area, was cut out by Matheus Cunha, Gunn failed to reach a cross and Vinícius headed in from close range.
Robertson’s replacement Kieran Tierney was outmuscled for Brazil’s third goal. Cunha swapped passes with Bruno Guimarães and swept the ball home and the fear was the scoreline would end up being so heavy that Scotland had no chance of progressing.
Twice Gunn denied Brazil in one-on-ones before, finally, Scotland showed some threat. Alisson turned away McTominay’s downward header and, in injury-time, the midfielder shot weakly when he should have scored. A goal would have made a significant difference. But, instead, as ever, their hopes are on the line.
At full time several players slumped to the turf. There was no lack of effort. They were just not good enough, which was all right – as long as they did not, as if cursed, engineer their own downfall. As they did yet again.
[Source: Daily Telegraph]
