Scotland have been dumped out of the World Cup after Ghana failed to beat Croatia by three goals. The nation’s fate was eventually sealed three days after their 3-0 defeat to Brazil, as results elsewhere confirmed they failed to qualify as one of the third-placed teams for the round of 32 knockout stage.
Only the top eight out of 12 third-placed teams would be able to progress, and Scotland have been eliminated. They were already below the qualification mark heading into the final three groups in 10th, and the gap became insurmountable after Crotia avoided defeat and beat Ghana 2-1.
Petar Sucic opened the scoring for Croatia with a fierce strike from distance, leaving Scottish hopes in the gutter after 30 minutes. Derrick Luckassen scored an equaliser for the African side, but Ghana could not do enough to keep Scotland’s hopes alive and Nikola Vlasic rounded off the scoring for Croatia.
It means Scotland’s wait for their maiden appearance in a World Cup knockout round goes on after finishing third with three points in Group C. The Scots were already guaranteed that status heading into the Brazil game on Wednesday, with the 1-0 opening game result eliminating Haiti due to the head-to-head rule.
But Steve Clarke’s men suffered a huge blow to their goal difference against Brazil. Vinicius Junior scored a first-half brace, and Matheus Cunha added a third after the interval to seal a dominant victory for the Selecao.
Get the latest World Cup news straight to your inbox by signing up to our Make Football Great Again newsletter now!
Scotland boss Clarke admitted their hopes of progressing to the next stage were all but over at the time, despite Opta’s prediction model suggesting there was a 24.9% chance of advancing to the next round. “Yeah for me, I think for sure we’re going home,” Clarke told reporters.
Much of their hope rested upon the fixtures between Czechia and Mexico, as well as South Africa against South Korea. While Mexico did what was required of them, storming to a 3-0 win, South Africa pulled off an upset and beat their Asian opponents 1-0.
That was enough to cause severe damage to Scotland’s hopes of qualifying, as the Bafana Bafana qualified in second. South Korea dropped to third in their group, and with a better goal difference would knock Scotland further down the pecking order.
View 2 ImagesScotland were soundly beaten 3-0 by Brazil on Thursday morning(Image: (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images))
Scotland plummeted down to seventh in the third-place standings going into the fixtures on June 25, hanging precariously above the drop zone, with the top eight third-place teams qualifying for the knockout rounds.
Their fate rested on the outcome of Group E results as they headed into simultaneous 9pm (BST) kick-offs on Thursday. Ecuador were third with one point before facing Germany in their last game, while Curacao were sitting fourth with a match-up against the Ivory Coast.
Scotland knew that if Ecuador failed to beat Germany and Curacao couldn’t overcome the Ivory Coast, the Tartan Army would be ahead of them both in the rankings. However, a shock win for Ecuador made things even worse.
Going into the final day of the group stages, Scotland stood less than a 0.1% chance, as per Opta, of progressing. They needed all of the below to happen:
- Ghana to beat Croatia by 3+ goals
- Uzbekistan to beat or draw with DR Congo
- Austria to beat Algeria by 2+ goals
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! Latest news, analysis and much more on Mirror Football’s Facebook page
Even if Scotland had pulled off a miracle and qualified, they would have faced a difficult path to the latter stages of the tournament. In Group C, they could face the group winner from Groups A, E or I, which would have meant facing either hosts Mexico, Germany or France.
Had they faced Mexico, a showdown with England could have awaited them in the round of 16, but it wasn’t to be.
Article continues below
Given their disappointing performance in North America – their only goal coming against Haiti – their loyal fans might have been spared extra heartache. In any case, as Clarke correctly, predicted the loudest fans at the World Cup are heading home.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV packageThis article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
£44SkyGet the deal here
Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.
Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.