Scotland goalkeeper Angus Gunn has described the agonising wait for their World Cup fate as a 'weird' and 'torturous' experience, as the squad clings to a slim hope of advancing as one of the best third-placed teams.
Scotland's World Cup Hopes Hang by a Thread
Steve Clarke's side are in limbo after collecting just three points in Group C, with their qualification hopes hanging by a thread following a 3-0 defeat to Brazil in Miami on Wednesday night. That loss followed a 1-0 defeat to Morocco in Boston, leaving the Scots almost certain to exit the tournament early unless other results go their way.
Speaking from Scotland's base camp in Charlotte, Gunn admitted the campaign has not been good enough and that the uncertainty is taking a toll on the squad.
Gunn's Frustration at Lack of Control
“It will take a few days to recover from Wednesday night. Now, we’ll be watching the games, praying that we get another chance,” Gunn said. “But it’s a unique, weird place to be. Being in one of the earlier groups, we didn’t know what we HAD to do. The teams later on in the tournament know exactly what they have to do - so it’s tough watching those games.”
The 30-year-old goalkeeper, one of few Scotland players to perform well in the tournament, expressed his disappointment at the manner of the defeats. “Sometimes in football you get lucky so let’s hope it’s on our side this time. I’m gutted, so disappointed. But the manner in which we’ve conceded goals in the tournament has been disappointing. Other than those mistakes, we actually looked pretty good on the ball and controlled a lot of possession against better teams, which we haven’t done previously. But those errors have obviously cost us.”
Personal Performances Bring No Satisfaction
Gunn pulled off several impressive saves against Morocco and Brazil, including denying Vinicius Jr a hat-trick, but he insists personal displays offer no comfort given Scotland's likely early exit. “I can’t feel pleased with myself and how I’ve played - not right now. Because we’ve lost goals and games. You never know, that one goal of a difference could mean we’re in or out. Hopefully it’s a positive and we can sneak in.”
He added: “There wouldn’t be a bad way to qualify. That was our target in a very tough group. We knew the games against Morocco and Brazil were going to be tough. But we believed in ourselves, that we could nick something from it.”
Goal Difference Worries
With Scotland's goal difference potentially decisive, Gunn acknowledged the concern. “Hopefully the goal difference doesn’t come back to bite us. Do I hope we’re not looking back on the Haiti game and wishing we’d scored more goals? Well, exactly. But let’s hope we’re not.”
