Scotland player ratings: Andy Robertson struggles, Kieran Tierney the best of the bunch in costly 2026 World Cup defeat to Brazil

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Scotland were looking to do two things they have never done in the history of the World Cup when they faced Brazil in their final Group C game in Miami, but things quickly went awry for Steve Clarke's side.

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In four attempts, the Scots had never managed to claim a World Cup victory over Brazil, while they were also out to book a spot in the knockout phase of the tournament for the first time.

But they could hardly have made a worse start. Attempting to play out from the back, Scott McKenna’s intercepted pass fell at the feet of Vinicius Junior, who wrong-footed Angus Gunn and rolled the ball into the empty net with just seven minutes on the clock.

It looked to have gone from bad to worse less than 15 minutes later when Vinicius found the net again after another defensive howler, this time from Jack Hendry, but the goal was ruled out following a review.

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Vinicius did get his second on the stroke of half-time before Matheus Cunha made it 3-0 after the break.

Scotland were marginally better in the second half but failed to really test Brazil goalkeeper Alisson Becker, as Carlo Ancelotti's side saw out a comfortable 3-0 win to top Group C and leave Scotland with an anxious wait to find out if they have done enough to progress as one of the best third-placed teams.

Scotland

Angus Gunn – 6 – The Scotland goalkeeper certainly was not helped by the centre-backs in front of him. McKenna’s early error left him with next-to-no chance of denying Vinicius, and the same was true when Hendry was caught napping at the back, before Scotland were spared by a VAR review.

He was, however, at fault for Brazil’s second goal. On the stroke of half-time, he came out to claim a cross and missed it, allowing Vinicius to head home into an empty net and put his side firmly in control.

There was little he could do for Cunha's goal, and he did make some good saves to keep the scoreline semi-respectable.

Nathan Patterson – 5 – The right-back enjoyed a solid first half, offering some pace on occasion in attack and performing his defensive duties well enough. The Everton man cleared the ball off the line late in the first half to keep Scotland just a single goal behind.

However, he could have done more to stop Brazil’s second goal when Vinicius was allowed too much space to head home after Gunn’s mistake.

Jack Hendry – 5 – Hendry was one of the standout performers against Morocco but looked nervy in the opening exchanges against Brazil.

He was dispossessed by Vinicius just before the first-half hydration break, allowing the Brazil forward to slot past Gunn before the goal was chalked off. He was solid enough after that mistake.

Scott McKenna – 3 – The one thing Scotland could not afford to do against such opposition was make sloppy errors, but they don’t come much sloppier than McKenna’s in the opening 10 minutes.

Caught in possession, the early mistake put Scotland a goal behind and turned a difficult task into an almost impossible one. An inexcusable gaffe.

Andy Robertson – 4 – The captain is typically one of Scotland’s more reliable players, but this was an exception for Andy Robertson. His failure to clear the ball led to Brazil’s second goal in first-half added time, while he was ineffective going forward.

Hooked at the break with a suspected injury, it was a night to forget for the former Liverpool man.

Lewis Ferguson – 4 – In the centre of midfield, Ferguson was largely anonymous for the majority of the 90 minutes. He went pretty close with a free-kick in the second half, but that was really it as far as notable contributions went.

Kenny McLean – 5 – He showed glimpses of what he can do, but they were too few and far between as Brazil proved too strong.

He was pushed off the ball far too easily in the lead-up to Brazil’s third goal, which well and truly killed the game off.

Ben Gannon-Doak – 4 – He tried to inject some pace but was another player who really found it tough going in the first half.

He was eventually taken off in the second half, but Clarke would have been forgiven for removing him sooner.

Scott McTominay – 5 – It was another game in which Scott McTominay failed to deliver what he so often does for his club. He gave the ball away cheaply a couple of times in the first half and just generally looked off the pace before the break.

He had the best chances of the game for Scotland in the second half, but on each occasion, Alisson was equal to the task, the best of the saves coming from close range in the dying embers.

John McGinn – 6 – The Aston Villa midfielder never hides, no matter the situation, and this was no exception. He was a constant outlet on the left-hand flank and linked up well with Kieran Tierney when the Celtic man came on.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but perhaps it would have been more effective to play McGinn on his favoured right-hand side.

Lawrence Shankland – 5 – The game largely passed the Rangers striker by, especially in the first half.

He was more involved in the second period and went close with a header in the 76th minute, but chances were few and far between for Shankland.

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Substitutes

Kieran Tierney – 7 – On for Robertson at half-time, Tierney made a really positive impact. He linked up well with McGinn and set up McTominay for a good chance early in the second half with a brilliant cross into the box.

A fizzed ball into the box gave McTominay another chance in the 64th minute, but the Napoli midfielder couldn’t get enough power on his header.

Again, hindsight, but Tierney on from the start might have made a difference.

Anthony Ralston – 6 – On at right-back for Patterson, he did his job well for the 15 minutes he was given.

Ryan Christie – 5 – The Bournemouth midfielder was brought on in the 82nd minute for Gannon-Doak but failed to really have an impact.

Findlay Curtis – N/A

Che Adams – N/A

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