Chinks in Brazilian armour

Scotland deserve a lot of credit for the way they played against the world champions Brazil. I thought they were going to hang on until Tomm...

Scotland deserve a lot of credit for the way they played against the world champions Brazil. I thought they were going to hang on until Tommy Boyd’s unfortunate own goal which came just at the right time for the Samba kings.

It was cruel luck for the Scots as they ran themselves into the ground against the world champions, but as I expected they didn’t create enough chances.

It was a good game because Craig Brown’s side showed no fear and tried to get in behind the Brazilians whenever they could.

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It has set a good tone for the rest of the tournament in terms of entertainment and I hope other teams will rise to the challenge. When I think back to the awful games at the start of USA ’94 it is a definite improvement.

A lot was said before the tournament began about the danger of referees ruining games by being too strict with the new laws. I was among those who feared we could end up with just eight or nine players on each side at the end of the game, but judging by the first game common sensemight prevail.

I just hope the other officials follow the lead of the referee in this game and give the game a chance to flow. In fact, the only decision of his that I would question was probably the most important one — the penalty.

My first reaction when Kevin Gallagher went over was that it was not a penalty. I was very harsh to award a spot-kick although there was a little bit of contact between the players, it was nothing serious.

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Brazil will be pleased to get the first win under their belts but there are still doubts about their defense. The main chink in their armour is their lack of concentration and leadership at the back.

The other thing that surprised me was that they were a bit sloppy on the ball. They gave it away far more than previous Brazilian teams did. Brazil were a real mix of good and bad. They looked awesome coming forward and Ronaldo showed some touches that were out of this world. Brazil are sure to pick up momentum.It is difficult to judge them on one game but they havealready showed enough to justify their position as favourites.

(Peter Shilton won 125 caps for England as goalkeeper and played in three World Cup Finals)
(Professional Management Group)