Alisson kept a clean sheet against Scotland as Brazil won the Group C finale 3-0, but Andy Robertson admitted before the game that the Liverpool goalkeeper is immense
02:06, 25 Jun 2026
Andy Robertson warned Scotland that Alisson would be tough to beat
Andy Robertson warned Scotland that Alisson would be tough to beat(Image: 2026 DeFodi Images)
Scotland captain Andy Robertson made it clear before facing Brazil that Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson is almost impossible to beat, and he was proven correct when his country was shut out in a 3-0 defeat on Wednesday.
Robertson may no longer be a Liverpool player after agreeing to join Tottenham Hotspur upon the expiry of his contract, but he spent the majority of his Anfield career playing in front of Alisson. Scotland headed into Wednesday's final group game needing a result, but were outclassed by the Brazilians.
With Alisson in goal for Brazil, Robertson admitted that he's barely ever scored past him in training, and said that Scotland's strikers would need to be clinical to stand a chance. Scotland had five shots on target but failed to score, while Brazil put three past Angus Gunn to seal a comfortable win.
Before facing Brazil, Robertson was asked about his close friend Alisson, who would be aiming to keep his nation from scoring. "I don’t think they’ll take any advice off me on how to beat Alisson," he said.
"I’ve trained with him for eight years, and I can count on one hand how many I’ve scored against him in training. I’ve certainly not cracked it yet! But when our strikers come to shoot, hopefully they can get the better of him."
Scotland head coach Steve Clark opted to start Lawrence Shankland up top and dropped Che Adams, as goals have not been flowing at the World Cup. Aston Villa's John McGinn is the only Scotland player to score in the group stage, as his deflected strike was enough to beat Haiti 1-0.
Alisson made five saves and kept a clean sheet as Brazil beat Scotland 3-0
Alisson made five saves and kept a clean sheet as Brazil beat Scotland 3-0(Image: 2026 Marc Atkins)
Morocco then beat Scotland 1-0, and Clarke made several offensive changes, including starting former Liverpool player Ben Gannon Doak. Scotland had chances against Brazil but few clear sights at goal against a relentless Brazilian defense.
The defeat has led to an anxious wait to see whether three points will be enough for Scotland to progress to the knockout rounds. The eight best third-place teams will advance, but four points is considered the safe threshold for progression.
A Scotland error handed Brazil the opening goal inside 10 minutes as Vinicius Junior pounced, and he saw another goal ruled out after forcing a mistake. He later completed his brace, and Matheus Cunha scored the third as he continues his strong start to the World Cup.
Scotland will now rely on other results going their way to progress
Scotland will now rely on other results going their way to progress(Image: 2026 Catherine Ivill - AMA)
As it stands, a team on three points with a minus-three goal difference has a 42 percent chance of reaching the knockout rounds. Brazil had a 4.68 xG, so Scotland did well to keep the goal difference respectable.
Article continues below
"Gutted, obviously. Lose more goals at poor times against a team that can punish you, we had a few chances to get a goal ourselves," McGinn said after the game. "We have to wait now… we were short on quality, but we gave it absolutely everything.
"The lads are empty... It’s unlikely now, I would say, but we’ll see. This is the top level, and if you make mistakes, you get punished. We were probably fortunate with the goal that got disallowed.
"We have to be better, we need to wait and see, it’s a bit raw at the minute. We appreciate the support of the fans. We know how difficult it is to be here. Hopefully the journey’s not over. If we have to go again, we go again."