Scotland fans were in a downbeat mood in Miami following the 3-0 defeat to Brazil as they contemplated the prospect of yet another group stage exit at a World Cup.
The ranks of the Tartan Army know their hopes of progressing to the knockout stages of the tournament for the first time are in the balance after Wednesday evening’s comprehensive loss to the five-time world champions.
The exuberant party atmosphere that built prior to kick-off at the Miami Stadium had given way to a more sombre vibe long before the final whistle.
After the game, supporters in Florida were agonising over permutations, odds and percentages as they tried to calculate the chances of Scotland progressing to the round of 32 as one of the top-eight third-place finishers in the group stage.
The fans now face days of uncertainty before their fate becomes clear when the final group games are played at the weekend.
Only then will the Tartan Army know if the World Cup party that began in Boston and continued in Miami will extend to another host city.
Michael Lavelle, 29, from the south side of Glasgow, was disappointed with the performance, branding it “too defensive”.
But he added: “We’re not out yet. We’ve still got a chance to go through.
“We could have went through tonight. We could have went through against Morocco – but it’s just same old, same old.”
Stephen Kearney, 68, said Scotland conceded “three bad goals”.
“We’ve got to remember we’re playing against Brazil in this heat and climate, we’re not used to it – we lost three bad goals,” he said.
“All we needed was one goal to maybe qualify. We never got it. We have nobody to put the ball in the net – that’s our problem.”
Gary Rowe, 36, from Edinburgh said the result was “expected” but not the final scoreline.
“Was probably not as good as I expected, probably 1-0 or 2-0 was good but three, now we are relying on other results,” he said.
Stevie Cone, 60, who is from Edinburgh but lives in Colorado, said Scotland had “high expectations, but we never achieve”.
“We expected maybe a draw, maybe 1-0, but unfortunately not… that seems to be the case all the time,” he said.
Andrew McKee, 55, from Coatbridge said it was “a bad performance”.
“The first five minutes, hopeless,” he said. “The remainder of the game, Stevie Clarke should have sorted it.”
Read MoreNew Mexico governor calls for criminal probe of DEA allowing fentanyl shipments to hit streets
