Scotland‘s wait for a place in the knockout rounds of a World Cup will go on after they were officially eliminated from the tournament on Saturday.
Following a bruising 3-0 defeat against Brazil on Wednesday, Scotland’s fate was out of their hands as they were forced to endure an agonising wait to see if they would finish the group stages as one of the eight best third-placed teams.
But results failed to go their way after South Africa and Ecuador recorded pivotal victories, and their exit was confirmed after Croatia’s 2-1 win against Ghana in Group L.
The likelihood of Scotland progressing was already more than slim, with surprise victories for Ecuador and then South Africa seeing their chances — calculated by Opta — slip from around 60% to 0.07% on Saturday. Senegal’s thrashing of Iraq and Iran’s 1-1 draw with Egypt also contributed to that, and Scotland needed an unlikely three-goal Ghana win to stand a chance.
The travelling Tartan Army have proved a hit with the locals, but the team fared worse on the pitch in their group games.
Scotland made hard work of their opener against Haiti, managing a 1-0 victory courtesy of John McGinn‘s winner, but they failed to register the comprehensive victory that would have boosted their goal difference.
It took just 70 seconds for Scotland to taste defeat against Morocco in their second game as their dream to make the knockout stages for the first time began to slip away.
Scotland’s hopes were left in tatters when they took on record world champions Brazil as defensive calamities contributed to the three goals they conceded as Scott McTominay and Co. finished third in Group C with a goal difference of minus three.
Clarke was visibly frustrated at the manner of Scotland’s defeat, telling the BBC: “We created chances but it wasn’t enough. Let’s be honest the best team won.
“In the first four or five minutes we passed the ball well and then made a mistake. You cannot do that at this level because it puts you on the back foot and it becomes a long night
“For sure I think we’re going home.”
Their return to the World Cup following a 28-year absence sparked wild celebrations and sleepless nights as the Tartan Army took over the streets of Boston and Miami singing “no Scotland, no party.” But to their dismay, the party has indeed come to an end.
