Scotland midfielder Lewis Ferguson has admitted the national team were left frustrated after failing to deliver the results they believed were possible during their World Cup Group C campaign.
Steve Clarke’s side ended their group stage journey with a difficult 3-0 defeat against Brazil in Miami, leaving them with three points and a negative goal difference.
Their hopes of reaching the knockout stage through the best third-placed route became increasingly uncertain as other groups continued to conclude.
For Ferguson, the disappointment comes from knowing Scotland had the quality to compete but were unable to turn performances into the results needed.
“I think we just let ourselves down a bit, ” Ferguson said.
The Bologna midfielder acknowledged that waiting on other teams’ results was not the situation Scotland wanted to find themselves in after entering the tournament with ambitions of controlling their own destiny.
“It’s going to be nervy watching some of the games and looking out for the results, and that’s not what we want, that’s not the position we want to be in.
“We wanted to do it on our part and get the points necessary. Now we need to wait and hope for other results to go our way, and whether that’s the case or not, it’s just a waiting game.”
Despite the disappointment, Ferguson believes Scotland’s experienced players have an important role to play in keeping the squad united and positive during a difficult moment.
“This is the time for the more experienced lads to get around everybody, and I think we’ve got those kind of guys within the squad that can do that and can lift the spirits.
“We’ve got a couple of days now, and we’ll need to try and build that positivity back up.”
Scotland entered the tournament hoping to make history and secure progression from the group stage, but Ferguson feels their final position reflects missed opportunities against strong opponents.
“We wanted to go and give ourselves a chance to get through, we’ve done that by getting the three points, but I think the last two games we probably let ourselves down a little bit.”
The midfielder also praised the level of competition Scotland faced, while insisting the squad had enough ability to challenge top nations.
“We wanted to get better results, albeit we are coming up against some top-level sides and it is really difficult. But I had full belief that we’ve got the quality within our squad to get results against these kind of teams and, sadly, we’ve just come out short.”
With their World Cup hopes hanging by a thread, Scotland must now reflect on a campaign filled with lessons, disappointment and the belief that future opportunities can bring a different outcome.
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