World Cup while you were sleeping: last 32 dream becoming a nightmare for Scotland

To paraphrase alternative rock band Del Amitri, Scotland are in danger of going home far sooner than their fans hoped after a disastrous first half against Brazil.
Beating the five-time champions was always a long shot, but all Steve Clarke’s side need to do is draw, or not lose too badly, and they’ll make it into the last 32. Giving Vinicius Jnr a two-goal head start was not part of the plan.
In the other Group C game, Haiti and Morocco are drawing 2-2 at half-time in an absolute belter.
Group A still needs resolving this morning, with South Africa taking on South Korea in Guadalupe, and the Czech Republic facing table-toppers Mexico at the Azteca Stadium. Both those matches kick off at 9am.
A win or a draw will see South Korea wrap up second place and a last-32 meeting with Canada in Los Angeles. The Czech Republic, meanwhile, have their eyes on a place in the knockout stages, and could get their with a win.
But that’s all for later. Right now, Scotland fans are preparing for the worst, Canada’s are planning a trip to Los Angeles, while supporters of Switzerland, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, are basking in the afterglow of a job well done while most of you were sleeping.

Attacking intent
Steve Clarke sent out a side with only one thing on its mind, and that wasn’t to sit back and wait for Brazil to score, which in hindsight wasn’t the best option.
“Tonight’s a chance to make a little bit of history, why not start on the front foot and see what we can do,” Clarke said before kick-off, not realising some awful defending was just around the corner.
Two self-inflicted wounds, first from Scott McKenna and then goalkeeper Angus Gunn, either side of VAR ruling out another Vinicius Jnr effort, has left the bold game plan in tatters.
A draw would all but seal their progression to the last 32, should they lose, goal difference comes into play.
Lose to Brazil by one goal and the chances of Scotland progressing with a goal difference of -1 would be around 84 per cent. Lose by two goals, that drops to 66.8 per cent. Anything heavier doesn’t bear thinking about.
But Brazil don’t have the luxury of sitting back and settling for a point, not with Morocco breathing down their necks.

For 45 minutes in Vancouver, there was a heavy suspicion that Canada and Switzerland seemed intent on playing out a convenient goalless draw.
A share of the spoils would have seen the home side top Group B and remain in British Columbia for the knockout stages. It would have guaranteed Switzerland a spot in the next stage of the competition as well.
As it was, the notion the Swiss would happily play along lasted less than a minute into the second half, when Ruben Vargas fired his side ahead, and was completely dispelled soon after when Johan Manzambi’s 57th-minute effort went under Canada goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau.
Substitute Promise David had been on the field for exactly 73 seconds when he pulled one back for Canada, and the home side showed more industry in the final 15 minutes than the preceding 80, all to no avail.
Still, Canada have progressed beyond the group stage for the first time, and barring a ridiculous set of results later will battle South Korea for a place in the last 16.
Switzerland, meanwhile, are likely to face the dwindling powers of their Belgium counterparts.

Making history
The expanded tournament and the potential to finish third in a group and still reach the knockout stages means several teams will be staying longer at the World Cup than in the past.
Bosnia and Herzegovina are hoping they’ll be among them, and a 3-1 win over Qatar has all but sealed a meeting with the US on July 1.
Fortunately, that means we’ll all get another look at talented teenager Kerim Alajbegovic, who scored one of the goals of the tournament to put his side in front. The 18-year-old left winger cut inside, beat two defenders and rifled the ball into the top corner with a finish that gave goalkeeper Mahmud Abunada no chance.
Bosnia scored again five minutes later when a cross from captain Edin Dzeko, on his 150th international appearance, bounced off Sultan Al-Brake and spun into the net.
Qatar, who won their first World Cup point ever in the draw with Switzerland, got a goal back through captain Hassan Al-Haydos, but Ermin Mahmic’s deflected strike restored the two-goal cushion.
Hosts in 2022 and twice Asian champions, Qatar have still not won a game at a World Cup.