Scotland diced with World Cup death and Brazil let them off lightly - now they wait for good news

The thunder and lightning stayed away. And so did the cosmic event that Scotland beating Brazil would have represented. In the final analysis, Steve Clarke’s side will view this 3-0 defeat as getting off lightly.

Stout work in the last 15 minutes from the drained Scots, when Neymar was on the park for the opposition as a second-half substitute, might have preserved their World Cup dream.

Scotland will head to their base in Charlotte and wait. They will hope for the sort of good news delivered by Mexican referee Cesar Ramos after he was asked to check for a foul on Jack Hendry by Vinicius Junior in the run-up to what would have been a second Brazil goal after just 22 minutes.

Scotland's Kenny McLean (centre) and team-mates are left dejected after Brazil score. | PA

Scotland were already dicing with death in Miami. They continued to play with fire throughout. A second goal was only delayed, arriving on the stroke of half time. Vinicius Jnr had the simplest task of nodding in after a cross from the right by Bruno Guimaraes evaded the outstretched hands of Angus Gunn.

If Scotland qualify, they will have the Nottingham Forest stand-in ‘keeper to thank. Steve Clarke’s side might have been three down at the interval if not for Gunn’s block from Rayan, after the Bournemouth star had sent Andy Robertson for the messages with an exquisite touch.

He also saved well near the start of the second half from Vinicius Jnr, who was threatening to run amok. A third goal arrived for Matheus Cunha on the hour mark after Kenny McLean was muscled off the ball.

Scotland now had to focus on not falling apart completely. Only they could be tasked with avoiding losing by five or six goals to maintain their chances of second stage qualification and still put their fans through the wringer.

Like so often, at World Cups and elsewhere, Scotland were the architects of their own downfall. Frustratingly, they had started quite well. Hendry’s audacious backheel to beat Vinicius Jnr was celebrated as a piece of arch Scottish impudence. A short time later it emerged as a portent of the cavalier defending Scotland could ill-afford, certainly not against Brazil.

Rustiness might have been a mitigating factor for Scott McKenna’s disastrous decision to take an extra touch as Scotland again elected to play the ball around the back.

Brazil's Vinicius Junior celebrates scoring the first goal of the game after an error from Scotland's Scott McKenna. | PA

The defender, making his first World Cup appearance in place of Grant Hanley after recovering from injury, was quickly closed down by Rayan. The ball landed at the feet of the last player on the pitch anyone in dark blue wanted. Vinicius Jnr took a touch to evade Gunn and then rolled the ball in. Lesson learned? Not quite.

Scott McTominay had been backed to get his World Cup up and running against Brazil but it wasn’t happening for him. The midfielder was caught in possession more than once.

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Scotland were on the rack. Hendry endured a pratfall after Lewis Ferguson’s possibly injudicious pass back to him. Vinicius Jnr stole in but, after a VAR check, was deemed to have kicked Hendry’s leg before taking possession of the ball and rolling it past Gunn. A let-off, most agreed.

McTominay later woke up and saw two headers saved by Alisson, the first of which he will know he should have scored. And then right at the death he was foiled again by the 'keeper. It might have been a consolation goal but it could have meant so much.