Scotland’s miserable World Cup is officially over and the Tartan Army are heading home after Croatia defeated Ghana 2-1 on Saturday night.
A chastening 3-0 defeat at the hands of Brazil, which followed on from a nervy win over Haiti and an uninspiring 1-0 defeat to Morocco, had Steve Clarke and his players resigned to heading home at the first opportunity.
That has now been confirmed as wins for Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Ecuador and Senegal, as well as precious points for Iran, Paraguay and Sweden, meant that Scotland will finish as one of the four worst third placed teams.
At the full-time whistle in Miami, where Brazil barely had to break sweat as hapless Scotland gifted them goals, Opta’s World Cup supercomputer estimated that Scotland’s hopes of reaching the last-32 at 42 per cent.
Less than 24 hours later and their hopes had plummeted to 5.26 per cent, and were down as low as 0.07 per cent following results on Friday night.
Now their faintest of hopes have been extinguished for good.
Scotland are heading home after their World Cup was officially ended thanks to Croatia’s win
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against | Goal difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Sweden | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 4 |
| 2. Ghana | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 3. Ecuador | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 4. Bosnia & Herzegovina | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 | -1 | 4 |
| 5. Paraguay | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 4 |
| 6. Senegal | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 3 |
| 7. Iran | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 8. Korea Rep | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 3 |
| 9. Algeria | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 3 |
| 10. Scotland | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 3 |
| 11. Uruguay | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 2 |
| 12. Congo DR | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 1 |
‘The lads are gutted, we fell short on quality but we gave it absolutely everything,’ Scotland captain John McGinn said.
‘The lads are empty now. It’s unlikely [that we qualify] but we’ll wait and see.’
Clarke – who is under contract with Scotland through until the 2030 World Cup – was even more pessimistic after a disastrous group stage showing.
‘We have to be better if we want to compete at this level,’ he said bluntly.
‘In the first four or five minutes we passed the ball well and then made a mistake. You cannot do that at this level because it puts you on the back foot and it becomes a long night.
‘For sure I think we’re going home.’
No Scotland team has ever progressed beyond the first round at a major tournament and questions are rightly being asked about why the on-pitch performance was in stark contrast to the show-stopping display of supporters in Boston and Miami.
Boston, in particular, became totally smitten with the travelling Tartan Army fandom as they took over the city while playing two games at Boston Stadium.
‘It’s been amazing – Scotland’s like the ideal crowd we could have got,’ bar manager Brian McDonnell told LBC of the Scottish support at the World Cup.
‘Obviously (they are) big boozers, big partiers – but while doing all that, they caused zero problems.
‘I said over the last two weeks of madness… I don’t think we’ve had to kick out a single person. There’s been no scraps, no malice from anyone. Everyone’s here for a good time.’
After taking in their win against Haiti, 5,000 Scotland fans were invited to Fenway Park to watch the Boston Red Sox and contribute to a rousing atmosphere, with marches hosted en route to the stadium and in nearby Providence.
Bostonians have been lamenting the departure of the Scottish fans after enjoying their vibe
The Tartan Army were a hit, seen here marching on Ocean Drive in Miami on Wednesday
Scotland’s supporters provided colour to the World Cup but their journey is now officially over
Boston’s Mayor Michelle Wu went one step further, establishing a sister-partnership with Glasgow, a ‘gesture of friendship’ has since been welcomed by the Lord Provost of Glasgow Dr Cllr Jacqueline MacLaren.
The Governor of Massachusetts Maura Healey even signed an executive order ‘legalising’ the Scottish national dish of Haggis.
A full-page advertisement was placed in The Boston Globe to say farewell to the fans, beginning their missive with the statement that they had given residents ‘something more’ than just a World Cup experience.
‘For a week, you turned train stations into sing-alongs, Fenway into a football ground, and an ordinary June into something we’ll be talking about for years,’ the letter read.
‘Boston has hosted championships, parades, and celebrations of every kind. But we’ve never hosted guests quite like you all.
‘Thank you for the laughter, the bagpipes and the memories. The World Cup will move on. So will the songs, but we’ll never forget the joy you brought to our city.’
But today the fingers are being pointed at the powers that be in Scottish football for the abject displays they put on, so far removed from the smash hit that supporters proved to be.
Speaking to ITV prior to the 3-0 demolition by Brazil, former England striker Ian Wright called for Scottish football to work to a ‘bolder, braver vision’ in order to kick on.
‘When you look at it, they’ve had two shots on target in two games,’ he said, as Scotland failed to muster a single shot on goal in the first half against Brazil, before adding five in the second when the contest was long over.
‘I feel sorry for Scotland and I feel sorry for the fans. Someone asked me the other day “what can Scotland do next?” and I think it goes a lot deeper than that.
‘When you look at Norway, a country the same size as Scotland, are averaging six or seven thousand on a weekly basis (at domestic games) in attendances and Scotland are averaging 16,000.
But on the pitch it was a complete disaster having been outplayed in all three group games
‘But Norway have managed to get a broadcast deal that’s (worth) £25million a year more than Scotland.
‘Obviously they have got a better commercial outfit than them but at the same time, you look at Scotland and their raw materials; amazing attendances, talent, storylines and grassroots participation.’
He concluded: ‘Somebody in Scotland is letting down this country on a massive scale. They are very proud of their tourists all over the world but they have got to do more.
‘There has got to be a bolder, braver vision for Scottish football, for me.’
