Brazil completed a solid Group C campaign with a convincing 3-0 victory over Scotland to secure top spot and a place in the Round of 32.

The five-time world champions capitalised on costly defensive mistakes before adding a third after the break, while Scotland’s hopes of progressing now rest on whether their four points are enough to earn a place among the best third-placed teams.

We reflect on this game in our Scout Notes, which features match stats from our World Cup Toolkit page.

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BRAZIL 3-0 SCOTLAND

• Goals: Vinicius, Cunha
• Assists: Rayan, Guimaraes, x2
• Tackle bonus: Casemiro | Ferguson
• Chances created bonus: Paqueta, Guimaraes
• Shots on target bonus: Cunha
• Top points scorers: Vinicius (15), Guimaraes (12), Cunha (10), Santos (9)

TEAM STATS

PLAYER STATS

SCOUT NOTES

• There were no real surprises when the teamsheets dropped, with both nations naming what looked to be their strongest available XIs.
• Brazil dominated not only the scoreline but the underlying numbers, too. Carlo Ancelotti’s side enjoyed more possession, generated over 3.0 more xG (expected goals), created five more big chances and finished with seven more attempts on goal. Scotland still managed 14 shots and accumulated 1.04 xG, but they simply couldn’t turn their chances into goals.
• Vinícius Júnior ($10.0m) delivered the biggest Fantasy haul of the match with 15 points. A defensive mistake from the Scotland centre-back allowed him to control the ball, steady himself and calmly finish for the opening goal. He thought he had a second after dispossessing another defender, but the effort was ruled out for a foul. The Real Madrid forward continued to cause problems throughout. He first set up Matheus Cunha ($7.3m), whose effort was cleared off the line, before heading home his second goal just before half-time from a superb cross by Bruno Guimarães ($6.8m).
• Cunha and Guimarães also impressed. After a defence-splitting pass from Lucas Paquetá ($6.5m), Guimarães skipped past two defenders before slipping Cunha through on goal to score his third goal of the tournament. Cunha converted one of his five attempts against Scotland and continues to prove his importance to Brazil’s attack. Guimarães has now registered three assists since the start of the competition.
• Rayan ($5.6m) also deserves plenty of credit. The Bournemouth winger played a key role in Brazil’s opening goal, earning the assist after reacting quickest to Scotland’s defensive mistake. He later created a brilliant chance for himself with superb close control, but the goalkeeper denied him. Rayan also finished with four key passes, underlining his growing influence in the final third.
• Neymar ($7.2m) received a huge reception when he came off the bench. His return from injury could be a major boost for Brazil heading into the knockout stages. Whether he has done enough to displace Brazil’s impressive front three remains to be seen. Speaking after the match, Carlo Ancelotti said:

“Neymar had the opportunity to play because I think he deserved to play. He worked and trained to recover very well, with great seriousness and a lot of professionalism.

“In a World Cup, because of his quality, he can help the team, even in the few minutes he plays.”

• Brazil continue to improve. Their individual quality now looks far better connected than it did in the opening match against Morocco, which could make their assets even more appealing moving forward. Fantasy managers will also be keen to monitor Raphinha‘s ($8.2m) recovery. Speaking before the Scotland match, Carlo Ancelotti said:

“Raphinha has a small muscle problem in the back of his right thigh. We don’t know how long he’ll be out, but we hope he’ll recover during the tournament.”

• Kieran Tierney ($4.3m) and Scott McTominay ($6.5m) were arguably Scotland’s biggest threats. Tierney found McTominay on two separate occasions, but neither chance led to a breakthrough. Scott McKenna ($3.8m), who was involved in the mistake for Brazil’s opening goal, also should have done better with a headed chance after a pinpoint cross from John McGinn ($6.0m).
• Even if Scotland do advance, their performances thus far have been extremely suspect. In fact, there is a good argument to invest in teams that face them.
• Scotland’s hopes of reaching the Round of 32 are no longer in their own hands. They now need results elsewhere to go their way if they are to qualify. Costly defensive mistakes ultimately proved their undoing against Brazil. Speaking after the match, manager Steve Clarke had this to say about their qualification hopes:

“At the moment, I think we’re probably going home.”

HOW CAN SCOTLAND QUALIFY?

For Scotland to qualify, four of the following things need to happen:

• Group E: Germany to not lose to Ecuador and Ivory Coast to not lose to Curacao.
• Group G: Egypt to beat Iran and Belgium to not lose to New Zealand.
• Group H: Spain to beat Uruguay.
• Group K: DR Congo to not beat Uzbekistan.
• Group I: Senegal to not beat Iraq.
• Group D: Australia to beat Paraguay by two goals.
• Group J: Austria to beat Algeria by two goals.
• Group F: Japan to beat Sweden by four.
• Group L: Ghana to beat Croatia by three.