Brazil secures knockout stage spot
Brazil advanced to the knockout stages of the World Cup after a 3-0 victory over Scotland in their final Group C match. The match saw Vinicius Junior score twice. Neymar also made his first appearance for Brazil in three years during the game. The win took place at Miami Stadium, where 64,478 fans watched Carlo Ancelotti‘s side secure the top spot in their group with seven points. Morocco finished second in the group after a 4-2 win against Haiti.
Vinicius Junior has now scored in every game of the tournament, bringing his total to four goals. He is currently level with Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland in goal scoring, and is one goal behind Lionel Messi. Scotland manager Stephen Clark had anticipated an aggressive start from Brazil.
Brazil took the lead early in the game. Scott McKenna‘s failure to clear the ball allowed Vinicius Junior to score, with goalkeeper Angus Gunn unable to stop the shot. A second goal for Brazil came just before half-time, as Bruno Guimaraes crossed the ball for Vinicius Junior to head in his second goal of the match. In the second half, Matheus Cunha scored Brazil‘s third goal, assisted by Guimaraes.
Scotland’s path to the last 32
Scotland‘s defeat means their progression to the last 32 is no longer in their control. They are now relying on qualifying as one of the eight best third-placed teams. This could lead to an anxious wait until Sunday to determine if they will reach the knockout stages for the first time. Of the 12 teams that finish third in their groups, eight will advance.
If teams are level on points in the third-place standings, goal difference will be the deciding factor. Scotland, with a goal difference of -3, needs at least four other third-placed teams to either not reach three points, or to have a worse goal difference. Currently, four third-placed teams are ranked below Scotland, and five have the same number of points, with four of those five still having a game to play.
According to Opta, teams with three points and a -3 goal difference had a 42% chance of making the last 32. Scotland‘s chances were further impacted by South Africa‘s win over South Korea and Ecuador‘s victory against Germany.
Key results needed for Scotland
With eight groups still to play, Scotland requires a minimum of four teams to perform worse than them in the third-place rankings. Several scenarios could aid their qualification:
- Thursday: In Group F, Sweden would need to lose to Japan by four or more goals. In Group D, if Paraguay and Australia, both on three points, play each other, a draw would send both through. Scotland needs Paraguay to lose by two or more goals, or Australia to be beaten by at least four goals.
- Friday: In Group I, a draw between Senegal and Iraq would be beneficial, or for Iraq to beat Senegal by no more than two goals. In Group H, Uruguay losing to Spain would help. In Group G, Iran losing to Egypt is another required outcome.
- Saturday: In Group L, Croatia losing to Ghana by at least three goals would be favourable. In Group K, a draw between DR Congo and Uzbekistan, or Uzbekistan winning by no more than three goals, would be helpful. Group J mirrors Group D, with Austria and Algeria on three points; a draw would send both through. Scotland needs Algeria to lose by two or more goals, or Austria to be beaten by at least four goals.
Brazil‘s goalkeeper, Alisson, maintained a clean sheet against Scotland.
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Source: bbc.com
