Football Extra newsletter: Oh, howler of Scotland

This is my full column from the BBC Football Extra newsletter. If you're outside the UK and would like to sign up, head this way . Scotland's World Cup hopes are hanging by a thread. A 3-0 defeat by Brazil wasn't an embarrassment but it was a goal more than they would've ideally wanted to keep realistic hopes of qualifying alive. Brazil probably had another gear or two if needed whereas Scotland were stretching every sinew to breaking point. There were moments in the second half when the Brazilians were stretched, particularly from a string of Keiran Tierney crosses from the left. The Scots however were also stretching – credibility in their case, with some of the amateurish defending that gifted Vinicius Jr two goals and almost a third in that crucial first half. Brazil didn't have to play well. They just had to wait for their opponents to play badly, which they did often enough at the back. We learned a few things; chiefly, this is Scotland's level, a good distance behind the top dogs. The team spirit and battling qualities are second to none, but too many other qualities are missing at this level, which is a shame as they are such a likeable and committed group, just like their fans. Is there a path through to the knockouts for Scotland? The passing of the torch Vini Jr nabbed another brace but it was the sight of him and Neymar on the same pitch together that will have grabbed most football fans' attention around the world. In football the greats eventually hand on the baton to the next superstar, even though it is often done so begrudgingly by the outgoing legend. The fact they had this chance on the word stage to be seen together was a poignant moment and it appeared to be handled gracefully by Neymar. Due to the injuries as well as his age it does feel like the last hurrah for the revered No 10, though judging by this World Cup, you write any of these greats off at your peril. I will admit I thought Cristiano Ronaldo was close to a busted flush with Portugal and then he went and popped in another couple of goals against Uzbekistan. I wonder if it is time for an over 35s World Cup to be staged. With the current crop, which will include Neymar by February, the TV audiences would surely be huge. Neymar - the return of Brazil's forgotten hero Points over performances – at this stage I found myself watching England play Ghana in a hotel bar in Miami, surrounded by a whole bunch of Scotsmen and one Englishman. The fact that he was my BBC producer here, and has a thick and very noticeable cockney accent, meant that he was a little quieter than usual watching his country. Him being a proud follower of the Three Lions, I was keen to see his reaction in these tricky circumstances when England scored. I also wanted to see how the kilted Tartan Army foot soldiers reacted to the goal and to my mate, if he celebrated. Sadly I was denied my entertainment as Harry Kane and co didn't find the net, even though they came mighty close a couple of times. Like every other country, understandably there will be the need to pick over the bones of the goalless draw and the performances of various players. You will find plenty of that across the BBC . But from a player's perspective, it is pretty simple. Four points from two games is fine with Panama to come, so the group stage is just about taken care of. How they played is secondary because the teams who think they have a chance to win know that the real tests of their capabilities come in the knockout stage. Oh yes, and for those asking about that penalty shout involving Ezri Konsa, here is a Scotsman's unbiased view. Was it any more or less a penalty than the two Scotland hoped for against Morrocco when Scott McTominay and John McGinn both appeared to be at least impeded in the area? Probably not, it is just that there is a higher bar for a penalty in this World Cup. Ghana were unlucky, just like the Scots were. They weren't cheated. Feeling the heat Scotland's Lewis Ferguson looked exhausted after his side's 3-0 defeat to Brazil [Getty Images] I moved down from Philadelphia to Miami yesterday via New York, following the storm-affected France's 3-0 win against Iraq. The difference in the weather is astonishing, though to be fair it is half a continent due south. The heat and the dense air hits you like a wall which I wasn't quite expecting, I thought it was hot enough up north. I decided before doing the commentary on the Scotland v Brazil game, that I needed to go for a run, just to understand what my compatriots were going to have to deal with. I thought I was being smart by going out at 6am just as the sun was rising. Amazingly the conditions were still brutally hot and humid as the sun peaked over the horizon, well through the skyscrapers anyway. My first thought was simple, the Scots are going to struggle in these sauna-like conditions – and that is just the fans watching the game. I actually thought the players coped with the conditions pretty well, except obviously when they had to play out of defence... And it was all yellow Miami is home to a huge population of Colombian expats – and it made for a wonderful scene [Getty Images] I watched the Colombia v DR Congo game in downtown Miami the previous night and have to admit to a couple of big surprises. Miami was flooded with Colombia supporters in their yellow kits and considering their team was playing in Guadalajara – 2400 kilometres away – it was a little confusing. I soon discovered that there's a large Colombian diaspora in this area. Their reward for backing their side was a 1-0 win via a Daniel Munoz goal and a deserved qualification from the group stage. The next surprise was the fabulous pace that Columbia attacked DR Congo for most of the game. For those of us from northern latitudes, this feels superhuman in these conditions. It was another reminder of the advantage these talented Latin countries have.