It may seem distinctly Scottish that the creation of football history could come with grumbling over the manner in which that was achieved. On Tuesday afternoon, the movable feast that is the best-third-place table at this World Cup had Scotland second and in a strong position to advance to the knockout phase for the first time. Heavy defeat against Brazil on Wednesday in Miami could damage that position but it remains perfectly feasible that the 1-0 win over Haiti and three points will take Scotland into uncharted territory. Denis Law did not emerge from a tournament group with Scotland. Neither did Kenny Dalglish. The 1974 World Cup team were unbeaten yet still on an early flight home. This has been a weight on the shoulders of Scotland teams for decades.
In a rare departure from sharp analysis, Rory McIlroy stated last week that Scotland had benefited from the expansion of the World Cup by means of qualification. In fact, they topped their section so would have participated regardless of size. What is undeniable, however, is that the path towards the last 32 can be almost laughably simple for some. Victory over Haiti was rightly expected, as was defeat by Morocco and – while not a certainty – so would be another loss to Brazil.
