How a disastrous Thursday at the World Cup put Scotland on the brink of elimination

Scotland’s chances of a World Cup knockout place have grown significantly more unlikely with the latest results in North America.

In Group D, Paraguay’s stalemate with Australia moved them onto four points, instantly pushing them above Steve Clarke’s side in the third-place rankings.

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Meanwhile, Ecuador delivered a monumental blow in Group E, stunning Germany to also finish on four points and comfortably book their spot in the last 32, where they will face England as things stand.

To compound the misery, Sweden fought out a 1-1 draw with Japan in Group F, ensuring a third consecutive group delivered a team in third place with four points.

All this comes after a disastrous 1-0 victory for South Africa over South Korea in Group A on Wednesday, which saw the African nation go second and left the Asian side on a superior third-place tally to the Scots.

With Sweden, Ecuador, and Paraguay all now mathematically out of reach, Scotland have officially been pushed down to eighth in the live third-place table, with eight out of 12 going through.

Third place table – as things stand

Attention now turns to the final fixtures in Groups G through L, where the Scots desperately need four of the remaining six third-placed teams to finish with fewer than three points, or with a worse goal difference, to breathe life back into their qualification bid.

A draw for Belgium against New Zealand or Cape Verde against Saudi Arabai would see them climb above Scotland, while victories for Senegal against Iraq or DR Congo against Uzbekistan would do the same.

If Cape Verde get a result, Scotland would need Uruguay to lose or draw against Spain. If Uruguay win, the third place team in Group H finishes above Scotland no matter what.

Even if Belgium lose to New Zealand, Iran can go above Scotland with a draw against Egypt – meaning the Scots realistically need both Belgium and Iran to lose.

Algeria, Austria and Croatia could still fall below Scotland with a heavy defeat.

Algeria and Austria face each other, with a draw good enough for Algeria to finish above Scotland in third, while Croatia take on Ghana.

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In short, they’re not out yet, but the Scots require a near-miraculous string of results elsewhere to avoid elimination.

World Cup woes

The Tartan Army had been hoping to see their side reach the knockout stages of a major tournament for the first time ever this summer.

This year’s World Cup marks their first appearance at the finals for 28 years.

Each of their eight previous campaigns have ended in the group stage.

Meanwhile, Scotland have suffered the same fate on their four appearances at the Euros.

They had appeared to have made the perfect start on their quest for the round of 32 in North America, though.

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Scotland began life in group C with a 1-0 win over Haiti thanks to John McGinn’s deflected effort.

However, they were beaten by the same scoreline in their second match against Morocco.

As a result, Scotland needed a point against Brazil on Wednesday to assure themselves of a spot in the last 32.

Instead, Clarke’s side slumped to a 3-0 defeat in Miami to take their destiny out of their own hands.

Clarke on exit

Clarke admitted he was not confident Scotland would get the results they needed elsewhere to advance after losing to Brazil.

Following the match, he was asked if he felt his team were heading for an early exit.

In response, he told reporters: “Yes, for sure. I think we’re going home.”

Clarke, who signed a new four-year deal last month, has guided Scotland to three of the last four major tournaments.