Scotland captain Andy Robertson was substituted at half-time during the 3-0 defeat to Brazil on Wednesday night, with the left-back spotted on the bench with ice wrapped around his right ankle. The substitution was not announced as an injury at the time, but the 32-year-old's absence from the second half raised immediate concerns.
Robertson's injury and substitution
Robertson started the match in Miami and there was no obvious incident during the first half that suggested he had suffered an injury. However, he did not return to the field, with Kieran Tierney taking his place at half-time. The Liverpool star, who is joining Tottenham Hotspur this summer, was seen on the Scotland bench in the second half with ice on his right ankle, indicating the substitution was injury-related. Whether he had turned his ankle or it was an impact injury was not clear, but the veteran was clearly in too much pain to continue.
Brazil's dominance
Brazil were already 2-0 ahead when Robertson went off at the break, with Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr scoring both goals. The first was a gift from Jack McKenna, who gave the ball away in his own box, while the second was poorly defended as Vinicius headed into an empty net after the ball evaded defenders and goalkeeper. On the hour mark, Manchester United's Matheus Cunha made it 3-0, leaving Scotland's World Cup hopes in serious jeopardy.
Scotland's World Cup prospects
Scotland will finish third in their group with three points, and their future depends on goal difference. With a goal difference of -3 or worse, their chances of advancing as one of the eight best third-placed teams are slim. According to Opta, the probability of Scotland progressing with a goal difference of -3 is 42 per cent. The team faces a tense wait as they monitor results in other groups.
Robertson's pre-match comments
Robertson spoke ahead of the match about the significance and emotion of the crucial game against Brazil. 'We have five million people back home shouting and cheering us on,' Robertson said Tuesday. 'It's massive, but it's something to be excited about. We want to be the ones to try and create history. There have been plenty of teams before us that haven't quite managed it, and that's what we'll be looking to do tomorrow night.'
