Scotland's calamitous 3-0 loss against Brazil has left their hopes of reaching the World Cup last 32 completely out of their hands, and a new supercomputer tool projects their chances of progressing from the group stage for the first time have dropped to a worrying 38 per cent.
Crushing Defeat in Miami
Steve Clarke's men required just a point against five-time champions Brazil in Miami, but a series of calamitous errors saw them soundly beaten by the Selecao. The crushing defeat at the Hard Rock Stadium has seen the Scots slump to seventh place in the table after South Africa pulled off a shock win against South Korea in the early hours of Thursday morning to pip the Asian nation to the runner-up spot behind co-hosts Mexico in Group A.
Dependence on Other Results
Scotland finished third in Group C behind Brazil and Morocco and now face a nerve-jangling wait to see if their opening win against Haiti will be enough to claim one of the eight places up for grabs for the best-ranked sides that finished in third spot in their respective groups. Between now and Sunday morning, Scotland need at least four of seven scenarios to go their way from the remaining fixtures elsewhere in the group section if they want to prolong the Tartan Army's adventure in North America.
Supercomputer Projection
However, with their goal difference now reduced to minus three, The Athletic's projection tool rates Scotland's chances of making the last 32 at just 38 per cent. At the time of writing, the Dark Blues will face co-hosts Mexico for a place in the last 16 in the early hours of Wednesday morning, but that picture could soon change very quickly.
