Now a bit of positivity...Earn another point and Scotland would almost certainly make it out of the groups for the first time, with Morocco back here on Friday offering a chance of just that.Putting it simply, Clarke's team are a clean sheet away from the last 32.
The thing on the minds of many Scotland fans filling beer gardens across Boston over the next week will be which is the harder game: Morocco or Brazil?Carlo Ancelotti's team turned in an underwhelming showing in New Jersey, after all, and had to come from behind to snatch a draw.
There will be no fear from Scotland going to face either of these teams. However, they will need to be a lot better in possession if they are to avoid defeat.The Scots' pass completion rate against the 83rd best team in the world was only 82%, with more backward passes and fewer going forward.
However, this team has shown their ability to rouse themselves, and ultimately they got the job done here."I don't think anybody is going to be quaking in their boots to play Scotland," said former Scotland winger Pat Nevin. "But what they don't know is we can do a lot better than that, and that's maybe our secret weapon."This section was compiled by our Ask Me Anything teamIn the seven previous tournaments, going back to 1998, each time the fifth-best third-placed team finished with at least three points: Colombia (1998), Portugal (2002), Poland (2006), Ivory Coast (2010 and 2014), Nigeria (2018), Tunisia (2022).So goal difference could play a major factor in determining matters this year.In 1998, three points and a -2 goal difference was enough for Colombia to be one of the five best third-placed teams.
In 2006, Poland finished the tournament as the fifth-best third-place side with three points and a -2 goal difference.Ivory Coast finished as the fifth-best third-place finishers in 2010 with three points and a +1 goal difference. Whereas in 2002, Portugal finished with a +2 goal difference on three points as the fifth-best third-placed team.In 2022, there was a three-way tie for the fifth-best third-placed team: Tunisia, Cameroon and Uruguay all finished on four points and a level goal difference, with one win, one draw and one defeat each from their three group stage matches.With 12 groups instead of eight at this tournament, there is room for a broader range of results but if recent history suggests anything, it is that teams should not rely on three points being enough to progress - and that goal difference will be key.In 1998, 2002, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022, there were 13 third-placed teams who finished on three points but were not among the top five third-place finishers.



