John McGinn believes Scotland needs to find a way to offer more attacking threat against Brazil to secure a place in the last 32 of the World Cup.
A point in the 1-0 defeat to Morocco would have secured Scotland’s place in the last 32, for the first time in history. As it stands, the issue now comes down to the final Group C game against the South Americans in their home from home of Miami on Wednesday.
Currently stuck on three points with a goal difference of zero, anything less than a four-goal defeat offers a high probability of Scotland reaching the knock-out stages.
Unable to muster a shot on target against a high-quality Moroccan team, McGinn accepts the need for Scotland to offer more threat in front of goal against the five-time world champions while somehow staying resolute at the back.
“We have to attack Brazil. The second half showed that when we get after teams, no-one likes being under that pressure.
“Even players at the top level make mistakes. They were making mistakes towards the end so we have to go about it the same way.”
A respectable defeat to Brazil and Scotland retain a real chance of reaching the last 32 of the competition, contingent on results in other groups.
A knowledge both comforting and dangerous in equal measure McGinn warns against Scotland playing the game in survival mode. “It’s important not to get ourselves into that mindset. We’re not going into games trying to lose by one game and sneak our way through.
“We feel we’ve got enough quality to go through the proper way and against Morocco we showed we can compete with the teams in the top 10. Brazil will be a different game. They play with less structure, but they’ve got quality that can hurt you.
“We’ll need to be at our best. We know what we have to do to reach the next round and we’ll try to do that.”
A spot kick or set piece always offered the best hope of a precious, elusive point against a Morocco side brilliant at doing the dirty parts of the game well.
The Atlas Lions conceded just two goals in the 2025 AFCON finals, one of those from a penalty after a VAR check. When a Scotland player had the ball, he was surrounded by two or three opponents.
Stats show that Steve Clarke’s team have now mustered seven shots on target in their last five games at major tournaments. While a shot on target every 65 minutes leaves supporters tearing their hair out, there should be a recognition that goal difference is critical to progress and that pitching Ben Gannon-Doak into the starting eleven only works if there is a solid defensive structure.
There was no structure in evidence at all when Ismael Saibari lashed Morocco into the lead after 70 seconds. A brilliant piece of finishing stemmed from a poor defensive lapse. “My feelings are a bit mixed, really,” adds McGinn. “I’m disappointed to lose and it was a really poor start from us.
“It was the start no-one would have imagined from us. But at that point, we had to regroup and build ourselves into the game. We had a spell in the first half when we improved a lot.
“But the second half was much more of what you want to see from a Scotland team. And on another night, because the margins are so fine, we could have nicked a 1-1.”
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And so to the penalty claims. The fine margins between death and glory. The Aston Villa captain was at the centre of the game’s major controversy when the Uzbekistan referee Ilgiz Tantashev failed to penalise a foul by Morocco’s Neil El Aynaoui in the area.
The team ranked sixth in the world needed help from officials out of their depth, but benefited once more when VAR failed to recommend a review of a similar challenge by the same player on Scott McTominay eight minutes from time.
“It’s a penalty,” said McGinn, “100 per cent. When a defender is running at full speed to try and win the ball, misses it and takes you out - it’s a foul anywhere else on the pitch.
“Nine times out of 10 you get a penalty for that, but we don’t make the decisions. It’s one that hurts us. I felt at the time it was a penalty and I’ve watched it back. If you beat him, knock the ball past him, and he takes you out, it’s a penalty.
“I haven’t seen any footage yet where he touches the ball. It’s something we’ve just got to accept.”
Two Scotland games have brought wildly inconsistent application of the laws of the game. Against Haiti, a fussy, tinkering referee broke up play for virtually everything and awarded 44 free-kicks.
Despite little or no difference in the physicality of the games, Tantashev gave just 19 fouls in the game against Morocco. Same rules, different application.
Ryan Christie, the Bournemouth midfielder, was bemused by the decision-making on a night when fans were left asking an old, wearily familiar question. What, exactly, is the point of VAR?
“I had a pretty good look at the one on McGinn and thought it could definitely be given – but not much was being given throughout the game.
“Honestly, I’ve never been in a game like that, especially at this level. It normally goes stricter the bigger the tournament, but this referee was the most lenient I’ve seen in a long time – though maybe lenient is putting in nicely.
“It wasn’t to be. Maybe on another night that kind of break goes our way.”
It should be said that Scotland were given the benefit of the doubt when the ball struck Grant Hanley’s hand against Haiti. In the early hours of Saturday, they were given the benefit of the doubt on nothing. Nothing at all. “I think McTominay had another shout, but I’ve not seen that back yet,” observed McGinn.
“At this level, when you’re competing against a team in the top 10 in the world, you need the breaks to go your way and in your favour. They didn’t.”
Weather forecasts for Miami on Wednesday predict rain, lightning and temperatures of 30 degrees centigrade. A storm is likely in more ways than one. “Scotland v Brazil in Miami to make history is something you dream of,” adds McGinn.
“You need to get the balance right. If you go gung-ho against teams, they can pick you off at the top level. I felt we got the balance right against Morocco. People will have the opinion that we should have gone gung-ho earlier.
“But if you’re sat with a 3-0 defeat, you’re probably thinking otherwise. We’re frustrated not to get on the scoresheet, because we put so much confidence in our structure, knowing that we’d probably have one or two chances at the other end to grab a goal.
“Unfortunately, it wasn't to be. But we go into the Brazil game with the same mentality as we always have.
“It’s obviously another very difficult opponent, but we have to go in there and try and get something from the game. We want to get through to the next stage of this competition.”
