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Scotland head coach Steve Clarke abruptly ended his post-match interview with BBC presenter Eilidh Barbour after just 23 seconds, following a 3-0 defeat to Brazil that has left his team’s World Cup hopes hanging by a thread.

Vinicius Junior struck twice and Matheus Cunha added another as Scotland were comfortably beaten in Miami, undone largely by their own defensive lapses.

The result places Scotland third in Group C with a goal difference of -3, meaning they must now rely on other results to determine whether they progress to the knockout stage for the first time in their history.

Clarke, who guided Scotland to the World Cup and had spoken of his ambition to make history with the squad, appeared emotional as he faced questions from Barbour after the final whistle.

When asked for his assessment of the match, Clarke gave a brief eight-word answer, his disappointment clearly visible.

“We made it difficult for ourselves, that’s it,” he said.

Barbour followed up by asking whether it was frustrating that Brazil didn’t have to work hard for their goals. Clarke responded: “We gave them the goals, we gave them the game they wanted. Disappointing.”

When reminded that Scotland now face an anxious wait to learn their fate and asked for his thoughts, the manager replied: “I don’t even want to think about that. Sorry, I don’t even think about that.”

Clarke then walked away, cutting the interview short.

Later, Clarke spoke again with Barbour, acknowledging that costly errors had undone Scotland and sharing his perspective on the team’s position in the tournament.

“You can see their quality in the final third, let’s be honest, the best team won,” he said. “Unbelievable effort from the players in that humidity, outstanding. We have to improve if we want to compete at this level.”

He added: “We started well in the first four or five minutes, moving the ball nicely, settled, then we made a mistake — you can’t do that at this level. Only Scotland could get a winnable first match, then face the world’s No. 5 and No. 6 teams in the next two games — that’s the level we’re at.”

Clarke concluded, “For sure, I think we’re going home.”

Scotland midfielder John McGinn was more forthcoming in his own post-match interview, admitting that the players were devastated by the result after failing to rise to the occasion.

“Gutted, obviously. We conceded poor goals at poor times against a team that punishes you with quality,” McGinn told BBC One. “We had a few chances but now we’ve got to wait. The lads are gutted — we fell short on quality tonight but gave it absolutely everything. The lads are empty now.”

He continued: “It’s unlikely [to qualify] but we’ll wait and see. In moments they [Brazil] hurt you. They allowed us to have the ball and at this level, if you make mistakes, you get punished. We were probably lucky to have that [second] goal disallowed.”

“It’s still raw at the moment, but we really appreciate the support from the fans. We know it’s not easy for them. Hopefully, the journey isn’t over yet — and if we have to go again, we’ll go again.”