THE First Minister has issued a statement after Scotland’s World Cup loss to Brazil left hopes of qualifying for the knock-out stages of the tournament for the first time ever hanging by a thread.
In the small hours of Thursday, the final whistle in Scotland’s third World Cup game saw the team lose 3-0 to Brazil, leaving them with around a 40-50% chance of going through to the next stage, according to analysis from Opta.
Scotland manager Steve Clarke said after the match that he does not believe his team did enough to progress, which they could still do as one of the highest scoring third-place finishers, depending on the results of the remaining group games.
Responding to the result, Scottish First Minister John Swinney said the team should be proud of reaching the World Cup, regardless of whether they manage to make it out of the group stage.
“I know, like me, the people of Scotland are proud of the team’s incredible achievement of reaching the World Cup finals and the way they have represented our country throughout the tournament,” he said.
“While last night’s result is not what we had hoped for, Scotland's World Cup journey may not yet be over and qualification for the knockout stages is still possible.
"Steve Clarke and the players should be proud of leading Scotland back to the World Cup after 28 years. I know this team has the character and determination to give everything should they qualify and the whole country is right behind them.
"The Tartan Army have been brilliant ambassadors for Scotland in Boston and Miami. They have captured the hearts of people across North America and shown the world the very best of our country.
"The pride and passion felt by Scots around the world throughout this tournament is something we will remember for the rest of our lives. Both the squad and the fans have done their country proud."
Elsewhere, Scots chef Gordon Ramsay has said Scotland’s performance against Brazil was “soul-destroying”.
However, speaking on the Rest Is Football podcast, he said the Tartan Army fan base have made a great impression in the US, particularly in Boston.
“Absolute sweethearts,” he said. “We had a bad reputation, especially some of the England-Scotland games were awful. So to see the way they’re being received over here, I mean, every girl has fallen in love with them in Boston.
“I think every CVS has run out of pregnancy tests over the last 24 hours as well. It’s been a busy two weeks.
“I’m dying to see that sea of ginger. It’ll be like, make America ginger again!”
Ramsay was born in Scotland and aspired to be a professional footballer, training for the Glasgow Rangers youth teams until an injury ended his dreams on the pitch.
He went on to study a course in hotel management before becoming one of the world’s most famous chefs.
