Brasil Kalahkan Skotlandia Tiga Gol Tanpa Balas di Miami

Tim nasional Brasil memastikan diri lolos ke babak 32 besar Piala Dunia 2026 sebagai juara Grup C setelah menundukkan Skotlandia dengan skor 3-0 di Stadion Miami, Amerika Serikat, pada Kamis (25/6) pagi WIB.

Kemenangan meyakinkan skuad asuhan Carlo Ancelotti tersebut dipastikan melalui dua gol yang dicetak oleh Vinicius Junior pada menit ke-7 dan masa tambahan waktu babak pertama 45+3, serta satu gol tambahan dari Matheus Cunha pada menit ke-60.

Pertandingan ini juga diwarnai momen emosional kembalinya Neymar Jr ke lapangan hijau bersama Selecao setelah absen selama 980 hari akibat cedera betis, di mana ia masuk menggantikan Cunha pada menit ke-76.

Gelandang Skotlandia Kenny McLean mengungkapkan kekecewaannya atas hasil buruk dan kesalahan-kesalahan yang dilakukan oleh timnya dalam mengantisipasi serangan lawan sepanjang pertandingan.

"It was disappointing - the result, the manner of the result. The fact we've given the goals away makes it even more disappointing," kata Kenny McLean.

McLean menjelaskan bahwa seluruh anggota tim telah berupaya keras menjalankan struktur permainan untuk mengontrol pergerakan bola dari para pemain Brasil.

"We worked on structure and the way we wanted to be off the ball, to try and control where they had the ball. We did it for large spells, but when you give the opposition opportunities like that, it's going to be tough. It happens, there's no blame attached to any individual.

We can all do more. Unfortunately, the first falls to their player, and I think there's a little bit of anxiety and nerves throughout the team after that. We dug deep, we fought, we gave everything, we came up against a really good team and got punished again.

It's going to be really tough [waiting to see if Scotland advance]. Everything is out of our control, unfortunately. We've not done enough ourselves, now we need to rely on others, which is not a nice feeling, but it's the position we've put ourselves in, and we need to keep our fingers crossed," tambah Kenny McLean.

Penyerang Skotlandia Lawrence Shankland juga mengakui kualitas tinggi yang ditunjukkan oleh tim lawan serta bagaimana efisiensinya Brasil dalam memanfaatkan setiap kesalahan lini belakang.

"It's a difficult night. You know the quality of the opposition going into the game and you want to try and make it difficult for them. We gave away the goal, it was a mistake, it happens in football," ujar Lawrence Shankland.

Kekalahan ini membuat posisi Skotlandia tertahan dengan raihan tiga poin dan selisih gol -3, sehingga mereka harus menunggu hasil dari grup lain untuk mengetahui nasib kelolosan mereka.

"We dealt with the half OK, we had a bit of possession at times but we were never a real threat. Every time we gave up possession cheaply they were punishing us and creating chances. it's hugely frustrating for everybody. You kind of know how the game is going to go before it starts.

We just live in hope. We are in," kata Lawrence Shankland.

Atas hasil pertandingan ini, timnas Brasil dijadwalkan akan menghadapi tim peringkat kedua dari Grup F pada babak 32 besar yang akan digelar di Houston pada Senin (29/6).