The Tartan Army have captured hearts and minds this summer, but the chances of their U.S. road trip extending beyond the group stage are hanging by a thread after Scotland fell to a 3-0 defeat to Brazil.
Wednesday's showdown in Miami, Florida, was the fifth meeting between the two countries in tournament history and the match followed a familiar script as the Seleção made their superior technical ability show as they clinched top spot in Group C.
Scotland's chances of earning a famous result were dented early on as Scott McKenna was robbed of the ball by Rayan, allowing Vinícius Júnior to open the scoring in the seventh minute.
A second defensive lapse from Jack Hendry shortly afterwards threatened to turn the much-anticipated event into a horror show for the Scots, but the Video Assistant Referee spared their blushes by spotting a foul from Vinícius on the Glasgow-born centre-back.
Vinícius did make it 2-0 with a rare header in first-half stoppage time before Matheus Cunha scored Brazil's third on the hour mark.
The biggest cheer of the night, though, was reserved for Neymar who made his long-awaited return to the national team when he was introduced with 14 minutes remaining.
The result leaves Steve Clarke's team looking nervously over their shoulder as they hope to scrape into the knockout round as one of the best-performing third-place teams.
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Scotland face nervous week after Miami misery
The pressure has been on Scotland ever since their tournament-opening 1-0 win over Haiti left them with work to do in daunting-looking fixtures against AFCON champions Morocco and five-time World Cup winners Brazil.
For a country playing in its first World Cup for 28 years and battling against their record of having never qualified for the knockout rounds, it was a daunting task.
The 1-0 defeat to Morocco was by no means terminal, and it led to plenty of number-crunching north of the border as the Tartan Army worked out what might allow them to scrape through as one of the best third-placed teams even if they fell to Brazil.
Scotland boss Steve Clarke looked to set his team up to frustrate Brazil, but their resistance lasted just seven minutes as McKenna's error gifted their opponents the opener. Projection models showed defeat by one goal in Miami would have given Scotland an 84.7% chance of making the round of 32.
When Vinícius doubled his and Brazil's tally on the stroke of half-time, the figure dropped to 66.8%. Matheus Cunha's second-half goal saw the odds slip further to 49.2%.
With a nervous week ahead watching the remaining group games play out, the chance of a coin flip separates Scottish dreams from disaster.
Vini Jr. takes on Neymar's mantle for Brazil
Despite his famed exploits wearing the pristine white of Real Madrid, Brazil's famous yellow shirt has often hung heavy on Vinícius' shoulders.
He has received heavy criticism in his home country for a perceived inability to be the country's main man on the international stage, and the attacking void has led to a pining for the memory of Neymar -- a man who was all that and more at his peak.
The sight of Neymar being introduced off the bench by Carlo Ancelotti in the 76th minute -- only once the result was beyond doubt -- had the Brazil fans inside the Hard Rock Stadium bouncing, but the team's all-time top goalscorer was unable to make much of an impression on a game that seemed to be happening faster than he could follow it.
But this tournament has proved profitable for European football's biggest stars and so it has proved for Vinícius who has become the fifth Brazilian to score in each of the team's three World Cup group games, joining Jairzinho (197), Romario (1994) and the pairing of Ronaldo and Rivaldo (both in 2002).
If Brazil are to win a record-extending sixth World Cup, they will have to release themselves from the shackles of the past and press their new star closer to their hearts.
Snapshot: Framing the drama
Team lineups
Scotland starting XI: Angus Gunn, Nathan Patterson (Anthony Ralston 82'), Jack Hendry, Scott McKenna, Andy Robertson (Kieran Tierney 46'), Ben Gannon-Doak (Ryan Christie 82'), Kenny McLean, Lewis Ferguson, John McGinn (Findlay Curtis 91'), Scott McTominay, Lawrence Shankland (Ché Adams 91').
Unused substitutes: Craig Gordon, Liam Kelly, Lyndon Dykes, Tyler Fletcher, Grant Hanley, Aaron Hickey, George Hirst, Dominic Hyam, John Souttar, Ross Stewart
Brazil starting XI: Alisson, Douglas Santos (Alex Sandro 82'), Gabriel Magalhães, Marquinhos, Danilo, Lucas Paquetá (Gabriel Martinelli 66'), Casemiro (Fabinho 65'), Bruno Guimarães, Vinícius Júnior, Matheus Cunha (Neymar 76'), Rayan (Endrick 82')
Unused substitutes: Éderson, Weverton, Roger Ibañez, Igor Thiago, Léo Pereira, Luiz Henrique, Bremer, Ederson Silva, Danilo Santos
Player of the match: Vinícius Júnior
Key stats
Aged 19 years and 325 days, Rayan became the the first teenager to start a World Cup match for Brazil since Marco Antônio in 1970 (19 years and 128 days) and the youngest player from any country to provide an assist in the tournament since 1966
Vinícius' second goal was the first header he has scored in his international career
Brazil amassed an xG of 2.78 in the first half against Scotland -- the highest xG in any half in a single game at this World Cup so far (overtaking Germany's 2.45xG in the first half against Curacao)
If Scotland don't end up going through as one of the best third-placed teams, they would join Italy as the only European team to be eliminated three times in the group stage of a World Cup after winning their opening match. Belgium and Serbia have done it twice. Scotland did it in 1974 and 1982
This was Brazil's fourth World Cup victory over Scotland. The only European team they have defeated more often is Sweden (5)
Information from ESPN's Global Sports Research contributed to this story.
