Scotland are staring down the barrel of a World Cup exit after a 3-0 group stage defeat to Brazil, and midfielder Kenny McLean wants to make one thing clear: no one player is responsible for the result.
McLean addressed the media following the loss, which took place on June 24-25 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and made a pointed effort to steer the conversation away from individual blame.
What went wrong against Brazil
Brazil’s quality was the short answer. Vinícius Júnior and Matheus Cunha were among the goalscorers, and Scotland’s defensive shape was repeatedly pulled apart by a Brazilian side operating at a level that exposed every gap.
One moment that will sting McLean personally: Bruno Guimarães dispossessed him before laying off the assist for Cunha’s goal. It was the kind of sequence that gets replayed on highlight reels and assigned a narrative about individual errors.
