Vinicius Jr burst into the party, stopped the music and told everybody to get to their beds. In Miami's stifling humidity, the Brazilian winger silenced the Tartan Army within seven minutes, scoring his first of the night after Scott McKenna took too long on the ball and saw a pass deflected into Vinicius's path, leaving him only to round the goalkeeper and slot into an empty net.
The goal sucked the energy out of a fanbase that had gallivanted across America for weeks, low on sleep, high on gargle and stratospheric on positivity. Earlier that day, O Globo, Brazil's best-selling newspaper, had run a full-page feature on the Scottish supporters under the headline: 'Lacking competitiveness on the pitch, Scotland put on a show with their fans.' In Miami, the show stopped.
“Vinicius Jr's brace condemns Scotland to 3-0 defeat, leaving their World Cup knockout fate dependent on other results.”
Scotland's World Cup hopes – already a mathematical puzzle after finishing third in Group C – were dealt a further blow when Vinicius doubled Brazil's lead in first-half stoppage time, making a run to the back post and heading in with Angus Gunn nowhere to be seen. The winger had earlier seen a goal disallowed by VAR for contact on Jack Hendry, but he would not be denied.
Matheus Cunha added a third on the hour mark, firing home first time from Bruno Guimaraes's lay-off. None of those goals drew the biggest cheer of the night – that was reserved for Neymar, who arrived off the bench in the 76th minute to a heroes' reception.
Steve Clarke's side, playing at a major tournament for the first time in nearly 30 years, contributed to their own downfall. The frustration will be the lacklustre performances across their last two games, yet they could still make the last 32 thanks to their win over Haiti. The stats gave Scotland an above-average chance of qualifying even if they lost by two goals – but losing by three or more massively changed that.
As it stands, the predictor has them playing Mexico on Tuesday – a shot at redemption or another trip to a torture chamber. That might turn on its head, of course. Other teams in the coming days will have plenty to say about this yet.
Back to Charlotte, North Carolina they go on Thursday; battered and dazed, uncertain of their future in this tournament, if they have one.