Scotland midfielder Kenny McLean admits his team have let the Tartan Army down with dismal

Kenny McLean admits Scotland simply have not been good enough all over the pitch as they stand on the brink of World Cup elimination.A woeful 3-0 defeat to Brazil in Miami on Wednesday night pushed the Scots towards an early exit after yet another dismal campaign at a major tournament.It now leaves Steve Clarke’s side clinging to the hope that other teams can do them a favour, but it looks highly likely that they will be knocked out.The campaign has been littered with calamitous defensive errors, particularly in the losses to Morocco and Brazil.Grant Hanley was at fault for Morocco’s goal in Boston, whilst Scott McKenna, who came in to replace him, had a horror show to allow Vinicius Junior to put Brazil 1-0 up in Miami.The 1-0 victory over Haiti proved to be the high point, with McLean admitting that one goal over three games simply is not enough. Kenny McLean believes Steve Clarke’s side haven’t been good enough all across the pitchYet, beyond the defensive lapses and lack of firepower, he also believes he and the rest of the midfielders could have done more.Insisting it must be a collective responsibility, McLean said: ‘We want to get better all over the pitch. That’s the plan. Of course, we wanted to score more goals.‘We had a few chances towards the end against Brazil, their keeper made some saves. But we aren’t under any illusions. One goal in three games isn’t great. It’s something we’ll look at.‘It was a mistake from Scotty for Brazil’s first goal. Unfortunately for defenders and goalkeepers, when they make a mistake, it usually leads to a goal.‘Scotty is an experienced player. He knows moving forward in the game that he can’t control what happened.‘I think he did fine after that. It’s not on him. I could have helped him more on the ball and gave him better options.‘He probably took more time on the ball because there weren’t enough good options ahead of him, so there’s a lot more to it. We all need to be better.’ McLean keeps a close eye on Neymar after the legendary Brazilian entered the frayBy the time the final group games have all been played, there’s a strong chance that Belgium, Cape Verde, DR Congo and Senegal could all have overtaken Scotland.Algeria and Paraguay are the two teams who could yet fall in the standings, but it’s clear that the odds are firmly stacked against Scotland making it through to the knockout stages.‘It is difficult to sum it up,’ said McLean. ‘We came here…

2026-06-25 22:36:03