John McGinn has urged Scotland to unleash more of their “personality” when they face Brazil in a pivotal World Cup clash in Miami on Wednesday. The Aston Villa captain’s call comes after Steve Clarke’s side suffered a 1-0 defeat to Morocco, a result that leaves their World Cup knockout stage aspirations hanging in the balance.
An early goal from Ismael Saibari just 70 seconds into Friday’s Group C fixture at Boston Stadium means Scotland remain on three points. However, a single point against the formidable Brazilians would be enough to all but secure their passage to the knockout stages for the first time in their history. Brazil, who subsequently beat Haiti 3-0, now sit level with Morocco on four points with those teams occupying the top two automatic qualification spots.
Speaking before Brazil’s victory over Haiti, McGinn reflected on the Morocco game, acknowledging the quality of their opponents while stressing Scotland’s own strengths.
“We have come a long way as a country and as a group,” he stated. “They (Morocco) are filled with elite players, but we’ve got some elite players in there as well, so we need to start showing more of our personality, but we’ve got to be proud of how we reacted.”
McGinn praised his team’s resilience after conceding, noting: “We could have folded, but in the second half we showed a lot more character and intent and we could have easily on another day drawn that game or even won.”
Looking ahead to the decisive encounter, the midfielder expressed confidence in Scotland’s preparations.
“We know what we need to do and we’re excited for it,” he said. “It will be different conditions, but conditions we’ve prepared for. Looking forward to the game, a big occasion for us. Brazil are a famous football nation, filled with players playing at a high level, so we’ll have to be at our best to get something from the game, but we’re excited by the challenge.”
McGinn also voiced his frustration over two penalty claims that were waved away during the Morocco match. He believed he was fouled in the area by Neil El Aynaoui, and later, Scott McTominay was brought down by the Roma player.
“When the defender’s running at that speed, it doesn’t matter what player, if you get the ball past them and are taken out then it is a penalty kick,” McGinn asserted regarding his own incident. “But we don’t make the decisions, the referee makes the decisions and he decided that it wasn’t a penalty.
“I haven’t seen Scotty’s back, but I’m led to believe that’s a big shout for a penalty as well, but we need to take it on the chin.”
Despite the perceived injustices, McGinn maintained a pragmatic outlook. “Like I said, we don’t make the decisions, but I certainly think the big, big moments haven’t gone our way.”
He concluded by highlighting the team’s improved second-half display and their determination adding: “Second half, I think we showed a lot more intent, a lot more bravery to go and hurt them. But when you’re not creating clear chances in open play, you need certain breaks to go for you against the top teams. We could have crumbled after the goal, we didn’t.
“Did we play amazing? No, but they are a top side and they’ll limit you to very little at all, so when you get those opportunities and they make mistakes – fouling someone in the box is a mistake – and they’ve not been punished for it, it’s just football and you take the hit, keep your chin up and be ready for Wednesday.”
