Scotland received a significant break in their crucial World Cup 2026 group match against Brazil, as Vinicius Junior had what would have been his second goal disallowed following a VAR review.
Scotland entered the Group C finale needing at least a point to almost guarantee their progression to the World Cup knockout stage for the first time in history. A narrow loss would still keep their hopes alive, but they found themselves trailing 1-0 in Miami after Vini Jr capitalized on a mistake by Scott McKenna to score just seven minutes into the match.
In the 22nd minute, the Real Madrid star appeared to double Brazil’s lead as another defensive error, this time from Jack Hendry, allowed him to take possession of the ball and finish cleanly.
Vinicius Junior was furious with referee Cesar Ramos (Getty)
Vini Jr was deemed to have fouled Jack Hendry (PA)
Scotland’s hopes of advancing were on a precarious edge until the VAR intervention ruled that Vinicius had fouled Hendry before securing the ball, having kicked his leg first during the challenge.
The Brazilian was understandably infuriated by the disallowed goal, yet it seemed to spur him on as he later scored a legitimate second goal with a close-range header right before halftime, leaving Steve Clarke’s team in dire straits.
The controversial decision to disallow the 22nd-minute goal sparked debate among pundits, with differing opinions on whether referee Cesar Ramos made the right choice.
Vini Jr finished smartly but saw the goal disallowed (Getty)
Darren Cann, a former Premier League and FIFA assistant referee, opined that Ramos made a mistake, stating, “Scotland are fortunate, there is small contact before the ball is played, but I don’t think it constitutes a foul by Vinicius Jr. He holds his ground, and the defender kicks into him. Scotland may feel delighted, but it’s a fortunate call.”
Contrasting with Cann’s view, former Scotland international James McFadden expressed strong disagreement, asserting, “No, I believe it’s a foul. Even slight contact constitutes a foul. The replay clearly shows he is impeded during the act of kicking the ball. To me, it’s a foul and a correct decision.”
Vini Jr was celebrating a second goal by the end of the first half regardless (Reuters)
McFadden further noted, “It’s a bit of a let-off, but if it’s a foul, it’s a foul.”
Adding to the discussion, BBC pundit and former Brazil international Lucas Leiva supported Cann’s viewpoint, declaring, “For me, it’s not a foul; it was great pressing, and it could have been 2-0. Let’s see what the referee experts conclude, but I don’t believe it was a foul.”
Rachel Corsie commented, “The argument is that the contact occurred before Vini touched the ball. He wasn’t in control; he contacted the Scotland player first, which is incredibly fortunate.”
Scotland hoped that the new World Cup format, allowing eight of the 12 third-place teams to advance, would work in their favor and lead them to a historic group-stage exit.