​By. Tom English. BBC Scotland’s chief sports writer. 7 hours ago. In a strange and angry pocket of the Tartan Army, there is a section of Scotland supporters who have taken to booing the head coach and the team.. They were audible on Saturday after the loss by Japan at Hampden and audible again on Tuesday after a second 1-0 defeat of the international window, against Ivory Coast in Liverpool.. This crew – smallish in number but sufficiently large to assault the eardrums of the management and players – are an odd bunch.. It’s true that Scotland should be beyond the point of just being happy going to the World Cup – and these players are way past that notion.. It’s also true that there is an expectation on Scotland now to be competitive in every game they play. And they pretty much are.. Against Ivory Coast they were very competitive. They lost, they put in a flawed performance, but there was intent in what they did.. It wasn’t enough, but it doesn’t have to be enough now, it needs to be enough when the big show happens.. Ivory Coast inflict Scotland’s second consecutive friendly defeat. How did Scotland defeat look from Clarke’s vantage point?. 8 hours ago. Are Scotland really going to name 55 players in World Cup squad?. 15 hours ago. That’s the big show that Denmark will not be attending after their exit on penalties in their play-off with the Czech Republic. A party that Italy will also miss out on following their loss, also on penalties, against Bosnia-Herzegovina.. This cluster of malcontents appear to have an entitlement, possibly a load of bevvy, and certainly an animosity towards Steve Clarke running through their veins.. Reacting to a narrow defeat for a much-changed team as if a sacred contract written in the manager’s blood had been broken was wild. Buying a ticket and travelling to Liverpool is not a binding agreement that Scotland will entertain, score and win.. This was another loss, yes. Another game without a goal, sure. But there are certain nuances.. It wasn’t the same limp performance we saw against Japan. It was better than that; more energy, more attitude, more physicality, more goal threat. Same outcome but an improved showing.. There was cause to be disappointed in the way Scotland conceded from a counter-attack, a run from Nicolas Pepe that wasn’t tracked by Billy Gilmour, a defensive lapse that wasn’t recovered by Kieran Tierney, and a shot that Liam Kelly presumed was going in until it came off a post.. Kelly gave up on it as Gilmour and Tierney gave up on it. Pepe was the only one alive to the moment in there. Goal.. ‘Hard to envisage surprise inclusion at this stage’. There was further cause to feel worried about Scotland’s lack of edge up front. George Hirst worked himself to a standstill, created a few half-chances for himself, but couldn’t execute.. In the Lyndon Dykes role, Hirst did a better version of Lyndon Dykes than Lyndon Dykes. He was mobile, powerful, full of running.. But these two suffer from the same ailm  

​Image source, Getty Images. By. Alex Howell. Football reporter at Wembley Stadium. 7 hours ago. 182 Comments. Three top-20 sides faced by Thomas Tuchel’s England – and still no wins.. The Three Lions breezed through qualification for the World Cup winning all of their eight games without conceding a goal.. But after losing 1-0 to Japan, the world’s 18th-ranked side, at Wembley in England’s last match before Tuchel names his World Cup squad, questions about whether the Three Lions struggle when they come up against elite nations are being asked.. After their loss at Wembley, which saw Japan become the first Asian side to beat England, the Three Lions end the March international break without a win.. There is an argument that Tuchel experiemented with his line-ups in last June’s 3-1 loss to 14th-ranked Senegal, the 1-1 draw with 17th-ranked Uruguay and in the Japan defeat, something he would not do at a major tournament.. But critics will suggest that the England manager should be using these games to find his best XI, and get them ready for the challenge that is coming at this summer’s World Cup, especially as the sides that England did not face the same tests in qualification.. Serbia, England’s toughest oppnent in qualification, are ranked 39th in the world, and were comfortably beaten 5-0 away by England and 2-0 at Wembley in November.. The biggest worry for England and for Tuchel is what they will do without captain and record goalscorer Harry Kane if he is not available.. Kane missed the game against Japan after picking up a knock in training and England, who lacked ideas in attack, do not have a candidate who is ready to be his back-up.. Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden was trialled as a false nine and did not have a good night but Tuchel has said this window has provided him “more clarity” than questions about his side.. “I am disappointed, everyone is.” Tuchel said. “I knew that we had a top exam in this window because our players are heavy in club football and in European football in the most physical toughest league that there is.. “We played against two top-20 teams, well drilled and very good opponents who arrived with their best line-up. “We had big changes in the middle of camp, suddenly after the [Uruguay] match we had seven or eight injuries who had to leave.. “It is not an excuse, it is just an explanation why things are not perfectly smooth and perfectly at the highest level we expect.”. [embedded content]. What information do we collect from this quiz?. Failed experiment as England get grim glimpse of life without Kane. 8 hours ago. Who is a certain starter at the World Cup? How England’s players rated. 10 hours ago. Quiz: Which nations have already qualified for 2026 World Cup?. 8 hours ago. We weren’t at it – Rogers. England were missing players who would likely start in their strongest team as alongside Kane, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham and John Stones were all not available.. “We go out to win every game a  

​Image source, Getty Images. By. Phil McNulty. Chief football writer at Wembley. 8 hours ago. 1117 Comments. Thomas Tuchel and his England team had a taste of what life would be like without Harry Kane as they slumped to a deserved defeat against Japan at Wembley.. On the evidence of this grim spectacle, the presence of the 32-year-old captain and record goalscorer will be the difference between failure and any chance of English success at this summer’s World Cup.. Kane was absent from the team list against Japan after suffering “a minor issue in training”. He was at Wembley but afforded the night off.. For now, the words “minor issue” are enough to send shudders through England and their followers because the evidence of these 90 minutes tells us that to lose Kane for a game of greater consequence would be a major issue.. Kane’s importance simply cannot be overestimated.. Should any misfortune befall England’s only world-class striker – perhaps their only high-class striker – in the 78 days between this game and their World Cup opener against Croatia in Arlington on 17 June, that could spell serious trouble.. Kane did not figure in either the draw against Uruguay or this loss to an impressive Japan, who sit 18th in the Fifa rankings, some 14 places below high-flying England.. Without him, England lacked punch, creativity and cutting edge.. Even head coach Tuchel appears to be struggling to find a solution should Kane be unavailable during the World Cup. Quite simply, it is not even worth contemplating from England’s viewpoint.. England’s threat, without Kane, falls off a cliff.. This is surely not news to Tuchel, but he will have everything crossed that the Bayern Munich striker is fit and well in June.. Alternatives have had try-outs during this camp, but recognised number nines in Dominic Solanke and Dominic Calvert-Lewin did not make their case strongly enough.. And the experiment of using Manchester City’s Phil Foden as a false nine looked exactly that against Japan, Tuchel perhaps recognising it was not delivering desired results as it was abandoned inside an hour when he sent on an orthodox striker in Solanke.. Foden was tireless, but this was England’s equivalent of an ill-fitting square peg in a round hole. It was a desperate measure, through no fault of Foden’s, that should now be forgotten.. England beaten by Japan in final match before World Cup squad named. Who is a certain starter at the World Cup? How England’s players rated. 10 hours ago. Three top-20 teams played, no wins. Should Tuchel be concerned?. 7 hours ago. Image source, Getty Images. In even more desperation, as England tried to offer some belated threat, the bankruptcy of ideas was such that it was back to lumping long balls to substitute Harry Maguire in the hope physical force and height might disrupt a composed Japanese defence.. It was ugly, basic – on this occasion unsuccessful, although Maguire did have a header cleared off the line by Yukinari Sugawara in a rare mo  

​Image source, Getty Images. ByMichael Emons. BBC Sport journalist. 8 hours ago. 97 Comments. One of the greatest strikers of the past 15 years – Poland’s Robert Lewandowski – is among the big names who will not be playing at the 2026 World Cup in Canada, the United States and Mexico.. The 37-year-old Barcelona striker, who has scored 89 goals for his country, was not able to inspire his side as they lost 3-2 in Stockholm against Sweden in Tuesday’s play-off final.. Lewandowski, who won the German Bundesliga title on 10 occasions – twice with Borussia Dortmund and then in eight successive seasons with Bayern Munich, before winning La Liga twice with Barca – may have played in his last major international tournament.. We have taken a look at six players who have missed out on qualifying for this summer’s finals.. Gianluigi Donnarumma (Manchester City and Italy). Image source, Getty Images. Gianluigi Donnarumma has been one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League this season since he moved from Paris St-Germain for £26m in September, after helping the French club win the Champions League last season.. Despite being player of the tournament as Italy won the 2020 European Championship, he misses out on a World Cup again after Italy lost 4-1 on penalties to Bosnia-Herzegovina on Tuesday.. Italy fail to qualify for third World Cup in a row after Bosnia shootout defeat. Turkey beat Kosovo to reach first World Cup in 24 years. Who is a certain starter at the World Cup? How England’s players rated. 10 hours ago. Serhou Guirassy (Borussia Dortmund and Guinea). Image source, Getty Images. Serhou Guirassy has established himself as one of Europe’s most prolific strikers in world football, with 62 goals in the German Bundesliga over the past three seasons, while no player scored more than his 13 goals in the Champions League in 2024-25.. But he will not be at the World Cup as his country Guinea went out in the first round of African qualifying, finishing fourth in their group, with only four wins and three draws from their 10 matches.. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Paris St-Germain and Georgia). Image source, Getty Images. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia helped Paris St-Germain become European champions last season, scoring in the 5-0 final win over Inter Milan, and he came 12th in the 2025 Ballon d’Or awards.. But Georgia had a miserable campaign in World Cup qualifying as they only picked up three points from a group that contained Spain, Turkey and Bulgaria.. Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona and Poland). Image source, Getty Images. Lewandowski captained Poland at the World Cup in 2018, but did not score in Russia as his country came bottom of the group. He had a better tournament four years later in Qatar, scoring twice as Poland reached the last 16 before losing to France.. He netted four times in Group G in 2026 qualifying only for Poland to finish three points behind the Netherlands, before losing to Sweden on Tuesday.. Victor Osimhen (Galatasaray and Nigeria). Image  

​8 hours ago. Captain Andy Robertson discusses the reaction of a section of Scotland fans after the friendly defeats by Japan and Ivory Coast.. Related topics. Football. Scotland Men’s Football Team