1 hour ago
Key events
So anyway, that toe-poke. The toe-poke. The toe-poke to extremity each toe-pokes. Here’s Steven Pye connected nan 2nd astir iconic extremity successful Scotland’s World Cup finals history.
Billy Gilmour, whose dreams were shattered a week earlier nan World Cup, has travel on for nan thrust anyway, and speaks pitchside to nan BBC. “The boys are looking really up for it … it doesn’t get immoderate amended playing Brazil … we’ve had 2 awesome games … assurance … beryllium fierce … we’ve sewage a awesome starting line-up coming … a awesome chair besides … hopefully coming it’s a bully 1 and Scotland get what we need.”
The BBC person flashed up a schematic of Scotland’s chances of reaching nan knockout stage. It shows that if they triumph tonight, they’re 100 percent judge of getting through. A tie puts them connected 99.99%. A conclusion by 1 extremity still gives them an 84.7% chance, while a two-goal nonaccomplishment drops nan number down to 66.8%. All reasonably promising, but past diminishing returns group in: a three-goal nonaccomplishment reduces nan chance of advancement to 49.2%, a four-goal conclusion and it’s 38.7%, a five-goal stuffing and it’s conscionable 31.3% and … well, if it gets overmuch worse it’d astir apt beryllium for nan champion to battalion up and popular backmost complete nan briny. But there’s a large reminder that each dream is not mislaid should things spell awry tonight.
The first setback for Scotland coming comes early. Bosnia and Herzegovina person already seen disconnected Italy successful nan qualifiers, and now they’ve done for Qatar successful Group B pinch a 3-1 win. Bosnia and Herzegovina truthful decorativeness 3rd successful nan group, and their four-point haul intends 1 little imaginable lifeline for Scotland, who person 3 points successful Group C, should they suffer tonight.
1 Bosnia and Herzegovina 4pts (5-6) -1GD (three games played)
2 Sweden 3pts (6-6) 0GD (two games played)
3 Scotland 3pts (1-1) 0GD (two games)
4 Croatia 3pts (3-4) -1GD (two games)
5 Algeria 3pts (2-4) -2GD (two games) Team behaviour -1
6 Paraguay 3pts (2-4) -2GD (two games) Team behaviour -11
7 Cape Verde 2pts (2-2) 0GD (two games)
8 Belgium 2pts (1-1) 0GD (two games)
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9 Czechia 1pt (2-3) -1GD (two games)
10 DR Congo 1pt (1-2) -1GD (two games)
11 Ecuador 1pt (0-1) -1GD (two games)
12 Senegal 0pt (3-6) -3GD (two games)
Neymar – who gave everyone a large thumbs-up arsenic he disembarked from nan Brazil squad autobus – doesn’t start. But Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that he is “available” to travel on. There’s 1 alteration from nan 3-0 triumph complete Haiti: nan injured Raphinha is replaced by Rayan … different young Bournemouth star! Quite nan evening for nan Cherries. He’s 1 of respective coming aliases erstwhile Premier League players successful nan Brazil starting line-up tonight: Alisson (Liverpool), Gabriel (Arsenal), Bruno Guimarães (Newcastle), Casemiro and Matheus Cunha (Manchester United), and Danilo (once of Manchester City) are each coming and correct.
As earlier reported by Ewan Murray, nan breathtaking young Bournemouth winger Ben Gannon-Doak starts for Scotland. There’s a first commencement successful this World Cup up beforehand for Lawrence Shankland, Scott McKenna is named successful nan centre of defence, and Kenny McLean comes into nan midfield. Grant Hanley, Kieran Tierney, Ryan Christie and Ché Adams are nan players replaced. A much adventurous, front-foot action by Steve Clarke than galore were expecting.
The teams
Scotland: Gunn, Patterson, McKenna, Hendry, Robertson, Doak, McLean, Ferguson, McGinn, McTominay, Shankland.
Subs: Kelly, Gordon, Hickey, Hanley, Tierney, Fletcher, Dykes, Adams, Christie, Stewart, Souttar, Hyam, Hirst, Ralston, Curtis.
Brazil: Alisson, Danilo, Marquinhos, Gabriel, Douglas Santos, Guimaraes, Casemiro, Lucas Paqueta, Rayan, Cunha, Vinicius Junior.
Subs: Weverton, Ederson, Alex Sandro, Bremer, Leo Pereira, Ibanez, Ederson Silva, Fabinho, dos Santos Danilo, Neymar, Endrick, Luiz Henrique, Martinelli, Thiago.
Referee: Cesar Arturo Ramos Palazuelos (Mexico).
This isn’t nan top loop of nan Seleção, and nan temper backmost location reflects that. Think Elis Regina’s version of Aquarela do Brasil arsenic opposed to Tom Jobim’s.
Paul MacInnes is besides successful Miami. He’s been mingling pinch nan Tartan Army, and here’s his study connected an all-new American pastime: nary Scotsmaxxing, nary party!
A reminder of Fifa’s upwind protocol. If thunder rumbles and lightning strikes wrong an eight-mile radius of Miami Stadium, nan players will beryllium sent to their dressing rooms, and a 30-minute countdown will begin. Should nary different onslaught beryllium detected during it, nan teams will travel backmost retired for a 15-minute warm-up aft which nan crippled will restart. But if there’s different onslaught during nan countdown, nan 30-minute timepiece resets. And if there’s different … etc., and truthful on, and truthful forth. We’ve been present before, pinch play betwixt France and Iraq suspended for 2 hours a mates of evenings ago, truthful it could beryllium a agelong night.
Ewan Murray is astatine nan Hard Rock Stadium (rebadged Miami Stadium nether nan yoke of Fifa and formerly known arsenic Pro Player Park, Pro Player Stadium, Dolphins Stadium, Dolphin Stadium, Land Shark Stadium, and Sun Life Stadium). Here’s his up-to-the-minute dispatch, which whitethorn good not beryllium his past this evening, if what he’s saying astir nan upwind comes to pass.
double quotation markI conscionable shared a assistance astatine Miami Stadium pinch Denilson. He has peculiarly mini feet.
On matters little personal... achromatic clouds are not acold successful nan distance, raising nan anticipation of a large wind hold astatine immoderate constituent successful this game. Scotland dream nan upwind is nan only threat to their hopes for a soft evening. Wishful thinking, I fear.
Expect Ben Gannon-Doak to return to nan Scotland team. Raphinha misses retired for Brazil, pinch nan cardinal intrigue surrounding whether aliases not Carlo Ancelotti deploys Neymar from nan start.
Preamble
Scotland’s grounds against Brazil is not bully – P10, W0, D2, L8 – and yet contempt what those bare numbers look to say, it’s not precisely that bad, either. The countries first met successful a Hampden friends conscionable earlier nan 1966 World Cup: pinch little than a infinitesimal connected nan clock, Jim Baxter’s tiny walk recovered Stevie Chalmers, who flicked gracefully into nan apical left. Servilio equalised soon after, but Billy Bremner marked Pelé retired of nan game, while Baxter ran nan show against nan still-reigning world champions. “Baxter often had nan Brazilians bemused arsenic he dispersed nan play aliases cleverly sent them nan incorrect measurement pinch a assemblage swerve,” reported this newspaper. “Scotland captured almost everything but nan triumph their play truthful richly deserved.” Olé Ola!
The countries first competitory lucifer ended successful a tie arsenic well. The aforementioned Bremner missed from a mates of yards astatine nan 1974 World Cup, nan crippled ended goalless, and it’s not precisely a spoiler to opportunity nan Scots went retired astatine nan group stage, albeit undefeated. Since then, location person been 3 much meetings connected nan biggest stage, and Brazil person won them all. Scotland were genuinely unfortunate successful 1990 (Jim Leighton’s precocious fumble that allowed Müller to score, Claudio Taffarel’s last-ditch point-bank prevention from Mo Johnston) and 1998 (Tom Boyd’s excruciating own-goal ricochet) though nan 4-1 conclusion successful Seville successful 1982, nan Seleção successful afloat sexy samba shot mode, was a due gubbing. And moreover past …
All of which perchance tempts destiny tonight. This whitethorn not beryllium nan champion harvest of talent Brazil person brought to a World Cup, but they’ve still sewage Vinícius Júnior, Matheus Cunha, Rayan and Neymar. They’re still Brazil. Scotland meantime request Scott McTominay and John McGinn to yet spark into life if there’s to beryllium immoderate dream of a surprise. But past dream is simply a nebulous conception tonight, because Scotland don’t request to win; they don’t moreover needfully request nan tie that would almost guarantee making it to nan knockouts for nan first clip successful their history; and they could moreover get done aft different Seville-style shellacking, should results successful nan different 11 groups spell their way. So fingers crossed a constituent astatine slightest is coming down nan roadworthy for Steve Clark and his brave boys … but let’s retrieve each will not yet beryllium lost, immoderate happens tonight.* Kick-off is astatine 11pm BST. It’s on!
* Catastrophising excessively much? I can’t thief it. It comes pinch nan territory.
