The World Cup continued on Wednesday night and into the early hours of Thursday morning, with Steve Clarke storming out of a Scotland World Cup interview and Neymar in tears after Brazil’s win
Scotland’s World Cup dreams took a knock during the early hours of Thursday morning as they were put to the sword by a rampant Brazil side in Miami.
Steve Clarke’s side shipped three goals, seeing them drop down the third-place rankings and leaving their progression to the knockout stages in the air. Group A, Group B and Group C were all wrapped up as Mexico, South Africa, Canada, Switzerland, Brazil and Morocco all moved on.
Elsewhere, Jurgen Klopp was left furious after he was asked about the racism scandal surrounding Bastian Schweinsteiger, and FIFA has declined to prohibit fans from bringing rainbow flags into Seattle Stadium for Friday’s clash between Iran and Egypt.
Knockout rounds update
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Scotland’s defeat leaves the Tartan Army bottom of Group C on three points with a -3 goal difference, and outcomes elsewhere will decide whether they emerge as one of the eight best third-place sides.
At present, Scotland face an uphill battle to reach the knockout phase, languishing seventh in the third-place standings with 18 additional group fixtures remaining this week.
Following the match, Scotland boss Steve Clarke marched out of his BBC interview when quizzed about the nerve-wracking wait to discover if his team will progress to the round of 32. “I don’t even think about that,” Clarke declared, before storming away from the cameras.
John McGinn confession
Scotland midfielder John McGinn offered a more composed response to his team’s loss, however, and insisted it’s “unlikely” that they will advance to the round of 32. He told the BBC: “We lose poor goals at poor times against a team that can punish you with quality.
“We had a few chances but we’ve got to wait now. The lads are gutted, we fell short on quality but we gave it absolutely everything. The lads are empty now. It’s unlikely [that we qualify] but we’ll wait and see.
“It’s a bit raw at the minute but we appreciate the support of the fans, we know it’s difficult to be there. Hopefully the journey is not over and if we have to go again, we will go again.”
Neymar’s moment
For Brazil, Neymar was seen in tears as he shared a special moment with his son after returning to World Cup action.
The former Barcelona striker came on in the second half for the last 15 minutes. Post-match, Neymar made a beeline for his family, who were watching the game from the sidelines.
He had a touching moment with partner Bruna Biancardi and his daughters Mavie and Mel, before sharing an emotional embrace with his son Davi Lucca.
Goalkeeping drama
During Mexico’s victory over Czechia, there was a momentous occasion for Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, who entered the fray in the final 15 minutes to make his sixth World Cup appearance.
Ochoa, who is Mexico’s third most-capped player ever, received a hearty welcome from the Azteca crowd as he replaced first-choice keeper Raul Rangel in the 78th minute.
The shot-stopper is one of four players – alongside Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric – who is playing in North America who also played in Germany 2006.
Jurgen Klopp controversy
Meanwhile, ex-Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp abruptly exited an interview when questioned about the racism scandal surrounding Bastian Schweinsteiger.
The World Cup champion has been accused of uttering racist remarks while commenting on Germany’s triumph over the Ivory Coast. Klopp was asked to comment on the saga by another journalist.
Speaking to DW Sports, the former Liverpool manager said: “And now you want to carry on this subject. No, no, I have no chance, I have no chance to answer this question.
“Everybody likes it, so you bring me into this situation. It’s not my job that everybody likes it, but this is a serious subject. I don’t even know what is appropriate to say.
“For African people it’s one thing, for other people it’s another thing, and I’m not here. Thank god I thought nobody asked me about that. You found a moment and surprisingly you are German. That surprised me so much. Thank you very much.”
FIFA’s rulling
Aside from the six matches that occurred on Wednesday and overnight, FIFA has declined to prohibit fans from bringing rainbow flags into Seattle Stadium for Friday’s clash between Iran and Egypt, despite resistance from both national teams’ federations.