Scotland

• 1
  Scotland's tournament ended with a 3-0 defeat to Brazil in their final Group C game, which sealed the group for Brazil and left Scotland third with 3 points and a goal difference of minus 3 — not enough to sneak through as one of the eight best third-placed teams. It's a group-stage exit, but for a country that hadn't been at a World Cup since 1998, simply being here to lose to Brazil was the headline, not the scoreline.
• 2
  The high point is one for the history books: a 1-0 win over Haiti, John McGinn scoring the only goal, gave Scotland their first World Cup win in 36 years — the last one came in 1990, against Sweden. Say that out loud to a Scotland fan and watch them light up; it's the kind of stat that sounds made up but isn't.
• 3
  The Morocco game was the one that got away — a 1-0 defeat to a side Scotland were genuinely competitive against, in a match that, had it gone differently, would have put qualification for the round of 32 firmly in their own hands going into the Brazil finale. It's the sliding-doors result of their campaign.
• 4
  Captain John McGinn is the name that matters here — an Aston Villa midfielder who's been the heartbeat of this Scotland side for years, and the man who scored the goal that ended their 36-year World Cup win drought. He's exactly the sort of unglamorous, all-action midfielder who never gets talked about outside Scotland but is adored inside it.
• 5
  The bigger picture is genuinely warm: this was Scotland's first World Cup since 1998 — 28 years in the wilderness — and they leave with a group-stage exit but also a first win in decades and a squad young enough to build on it. The last time Scotland were at a World Cup, Brazil and Morocco were in their group too; this time they were still there at the end, which says plenty about where this Scotland side is heading.