Clarke insists – Steve Clarke says Scotland will go to win their Group C final against Brazil rather than “limit the damage” after Friday’s narrow defeat to Morocco left the team on three points ahead of a crucial last match in Miami.
Scotland know exactly what their last step needs to look like. After a narrow loss to Morocco, the group table leaves them on three points and, just as importantly, a zero goal difference heading into Friday’s Group C decider against Brazil in Miami.
Steve Clarke insists his players will not be thinking about sneaking into the knockout round by making the game small. He wants them aiming for a result.
“The focus we will have in the next five days before we get ourselves down to Miami with the heat and the humidity,” Clarke said. “We will take on another top side from the world’s top ten.”
The wider qualification picture offers a narrow path forward. With eight of the 12 third-placed sides qualifying for the knockout round. Clarke believes even a narrow defeat in Miami on Wednesday should still be enough for Scotland’s World Cup adventure to continue. But the Scotland head coach says the squad won’t build its plan around that route.
Clarke also described the emotional work his players need to do after the Morocco match. “We now have to let the players suffer a little bit over the next 48 hours,” he said. “We don’t like losing against anybody. So we’ll rest, recover and get ready to go again. The games don’t get much easier, though, eh?”.
Against Morocco, Scotland’s start was the kind you can’t afford at this level. Ismail Saibari scored the fastest goal of the competition after just 70 seconds. and Clarke said the team’s response was delayed. “I felt we picked ourselves after that,” he added. “It maybe took us 10 minutes to get into the game because when you get a set-back like that it can be really difficult to respond.”.
Despite failing to create many clear-cut chances in the first half, Scotland improved as the game moved on. Clarke said the team were better after the first hydration break. building momentum into half-time and carrying it into the second period. “We had a right go,” he said. “But we’re all devastated and disappointed that we didn’t get the result that we wanted so that we can carry on in this tournament as long as we can.”.
Still, the frustration in the dressing room wasn’t only about how the match turned. Clarke pointed to three major decisions from Uzbek referee Ilgiz Tantashev that went against his side.
Morocco defender Issa Diop was shown a yellow card only in the first half for a last-man challenge on Che Adams. Early in the second period, Clarke said John McGinn looked to be impeded in the box, while Scott McTominay was also taken down late on after an ill-advised challenge by the same opponent.
Clarke admitted that he didn’t watch back all of the incidents but believed at least one penalty claim had genuine weight. “Everyone in the flash area, where I did some interviews, were talking about the Scott McTominay one. But that’s the only one I didn’t watch back,” he said. “I thought the John McGinn one was a 50/50. Some will give it. And I think if the referee gives it, VAR doesn’t overturn it.”.
He was similarly unconvinced that the Che Adams incident was clear-cut. “I was a little bit 50/50 on the Che Adams last man incident too,” Clarke said. “He had a chance to go through one on one with the goalkeeper and gets brought down. Again, the referee chooses yellow and VAR backs the referee. Listen, there is nothing we can do about it.”.
Clarke also spoke about why Scotland didn’t chase an equaliser immediately after going behind. He argued that Moreno’s counterattack is too quick to leave the game stretched.
“If you chase a goal against a team like Morocco their counterattack is so fast and so quick,” he explained. “If you make the game too big … you can see towards the end of the game when we were pushing for an equaliser the game becomes stretched and Morocco have very good and very quick players.”
He added that after conceding early, Scotland had to avoid becoming vulnerable again. “Early in the game it was important, having conceded the first one after 70-odd seconds, to not concede a second.”
As for Scotland’s preparation for Brazil, Clarke framed it as a fresh assignment rather than a defensive exercise. Ben Gannon-Doak. introduced as a second-half substitute. showed “some moments of promise. ” and Clarke didn’t rule out giving the winger a start as Scotland look to bring different threat to the game.
“He is a terrific player,” Clarke said of Gannon-Doak. “It took him a little bit of time to get into the game, but once he gets in there you know he is going to be that little bit unpredictability off the bench.”
Clarke also highlighted the contrast he believes Gannon-Doak offers, while praising Kieran Tierney’s performance before he cramped up. “He gives us a threat which is different,” Clarke said. “I thought Kieran Tierney was terrific, he just cramped up a little bit. Ben gives us something a little bit different, we know that.”.
With Brazil next week, Clarke said the approach may need to change. “Next week (Brazil) is a different game and probably a different approach, so let’s see who I pick.”
Steve Clarke Scotland Brazil Group C Morocco Ilgiz Tantashev Miami World Cup Che Adams John McGinn Scott McTominay Ismail Saibari Ben Gannon-Doak Kieran Tierney