Scotland’s World Cup campaign hangs by a thread after a chastening 3-0 defeat to Brazil in their final Group C fixture in Miami.
Steve Clarke’s side knew a draw would almost certainly have been enough to secure a place in the last 32 of the tournament.
Instead, Scotland finish third in Group C with three points and a goal difference of minus three, leaving their fate in the hands of other groups.
Opta calculated Scotland’s chances of progressing at 42% after the full-time whistle, but the mood in the camp told a very different story.
Head coach Steve Clarke was blunt in his post-match assessment, stating plainly: “For sure I think we’re going home.”
The first goal came when Scott McKenna was caught on the ball, allowing Bournemouth forward Rayan to set up Vinicius Jr, who skipped past Angus Gunn to open the scoring.
Brazil’s second arrived before half-time when Gunn and full-back Nathan Patterson were both caught under a Bruno Guimaraes cross, leaving Vinicius Jr free to nod in his second of the night.
Manchester United’s Mateus Cunha added a third after the break to complete a thoroughly miserable evening for the Scots.
Clarke, who signed a new contract with the national team until 2030 earlier this year, reflected on a night when basic errors proved devastatingly costly against top-quality opposition.
“We made it difficult for ourselves, that’s it,” he told BBC Sport. “We gave them the goals, we gave them the game they wanted. Disappointing.”
The 62-year-old also highlighted how Scotland’s promising early play was quickly undone by a single costly mistake, saying: “In the first four or five minutes we passed the ball well and then made a mistake.”
Clarke added with a hint of exasperation: “Only Scotland can get a winnable first game and then get number five and number six in the world.”
Midfielder John McGinn echoed his manager’s despair while acknowledging the collective effort the squad had produced throughout the campaign.
“We lose poor goals at poor times against a team that can punish you with quality,” McGinn told BBC Sport. “We had a few chances but we’ve got to wait now.”
McGinn was candid about the team’s slim hopes of progressing as one of the eight best third-placed sides, admitting qualification is “unlikely” but vowing Scotland would keep fighting if given the chance.
“The lads are gutted, we fell short on quality but we gave it absolutely everything,” he said. “It’s unlikely but we’ll wait and see.”
Scotland will not discover their fate until potentially the early hours of Sunday morning, when all group stages have concluded and the third-place standings are finalised.
