Scotland’s World Cup fate hangs in the balance after a damaging 3-0 defeat to Brazil left their hopes of reaching the knockout stages out of their own hands.

Steve Clarke’s side knew that avoiding defeat would almost certainly secure a place in the last 32, but a clinical Brazil performance in Miami saw Scotland finish third in Group C.

With three points and a goal difference of minus three, Scotland must now wait for the remaining group matches to be completed before discovering whether they have done enough to claim one of the eight places available to the best third-placed teams.

According to Opta’s post-match projections, Scotland’s chances of progressing stand at 42 per cent. However, there was little optimism among the squad after a night in which three costly defensive errors were ruthlessly punished.

Brazil took the lead after Scott McKenna was dispossessed deep in his own half by Bournemouth forward Rayan, allowing Vinicius Jr to race through and round Angus Gunn before finishing into an empty net.

The South Americans doubled their advantage before the break when Bruno Guimaraes delivered a cross that both Gunn and Nathan Patterson failed to deal with, leaving Vinicius Jr to head home his second goal of the evening.

Any hopes of a Scotland comeback were effectively ended after half-time when Manchester United striker Mateus Cunha added a third, capping a frustrating night for Clarke’s side, who struggled to match Brazil’s quality despite their efforts.

Midfielder John McGinn admitted the squad were devastated by the result and acknowledged qualification now looks a difficult prospect.

“We conceded poor goals at poor moments against a team with the quality to punish you,” McGinn said. “We created a few opportunities ourselves, but now all we can do is wait.

“The lads are gutted. We came up short in terms of quality, but nobody could question the effort. Everyone has given everything and we’re running on empty.

“It looks unlikely, but we’ll see what happens. It’s still very raw after the game, but we’re grateful for the support we’ve had. Hopefully our journey isn’t over yet and, if we get another chance, we’ll be ready.”

Head coach Steve Clarke was equally frustrated by the manner of the defeat, believing Scotland handed Brazil exactly the type of game they wanted.

“We made things difficult for ourselves,” Clarke said. “We gave away the goals and we allowed them to play the game on their terms. That’s the disappointing part.”

The Scotland boss praised his players for their work rate in challenging conditions but admitted mistakes at this level are often punished severely.

“The effort from the players was outstanding, especially those who played the full 90 minutes in those conditions,” he added. “But if we want to compete against the best teams, we have to perform better.

“We started reasonably well, moved the ball nicely in the opening minutes, and then made a mistake. Against opponents of this quality, that immediately puts you under pressure and makes it a very long evening.

“If I’m being honest, I think we’re heading home.

“Only Scotland could get what looked like a winnable opening match and then end up facing the fifth and sixth-ranked teams in the world.”