Steve Clarke has plenty to answer as Scotland wait for World Cup miracle | OneFootball

Scotland head coach rudely dismissed post-match questions - but he now has time to ponder some proper answers

And so begins the most nervous of waits. Scotland’s World Cup dream is hanging by a thread, and the future is out of their hands.

Scotland have never reached the knockout rounds of a World Cup. To simply keep Brazil honest in Miami on Wednesday night would, more than likely, have been enough to break that duck.

Two misplaced passes, one each from Scott McKenna and Andy Robertson, were all it took to dash that plan. Vinicius Jr was a perfectly willing beneficiary, gleefully punishing both errors before Matheus Cunha added a killer blow late on.

It could have been worse, too, if not for a fortunate VAR decision sparing Jack Hendry’s blushes and an imperious Angus Gunn save to deny Rayan.

Steve Clarke at full-time

PA

Steve Clarke, who signed a new four-year contract in May, cut a bitterly defeated figure post-match. “I don’t even think about that,” he snapped, asked what the next 72 hours held for Scotland, before storming off with a dismissive wave of the hand.

Scotland could not have brought more belief and energy into this World Cup, but the pace at which their campaign unravelled was stark.

They were fortunate to come away from their opening match with three points, having been outplayed by Haiti for long stretches. John McGinn’s deflected goal in that match came in the 29th minute, and Scotland would not record another shot on target until the second half of the Brazil tie, having failed to punish a profligate Morocco.

Clarke should be remembered as one of Scotland’s more accomplished managers having taken them to three major tournaments, but his pessimistic approach to this World Cup will threaten that legacy.

The squad at Clarke’s disposal is among the strongest his nation has produced, but has been misused

The squad at his disposal is among the strongest his nation has produced, but has been misused. Clarke failed to get the best out of key men McGinn and Scott McTominay, while his tactical decisions left many scratching their heads.

After his defence was run ragged by World Cup debutants Haiti, who were more than deserving of a goal, he responded by dropping his most threatening forward in Ben Gannon-Doak and deploying full-back Kieran Tierney to the left wing against Morocco.

That proved ineffective, so Clarke reverted to a more front-footed setup for Brazil, with Gannon-Doak reinstated, but Scotland wilted. Decisive errors aside, they failed to lay a glove on the Selecao. To see an ageing Neymar handed a testimonial-esque cameo underlined Carlo Ancelotti’s assessment of his opposition.

Should the Scots progress, they will undoubtedly be the biggest beneficiaries of this expanded tournament, where two-thirds of the qualified teams will play knockout football.

There is plenty of soul-searching to be done as they wait for news, and, while Czechia and South Korea’s defeats will boost their chances slightly, Clarke must look inward. He has now won just one of his nine matches at major tournaments, and his standoffish media presence has done little to launder his reputation.

The question of what Clarke will do with the next four years of his tenure will need to be answered, but for now, all Scotland can do is play the waiting game.