Vinícius Júnior leads Brazil’s star cast in blockbuster show against sorry Scotland | Paul MacInnes

“Water so clear you can see to the bottom, hundred thousand dollar cars e’ybody got ‘em. Ain’t no surprise in the club to see Sly Stallone, Miami my second home.” So said Will Smith, and the actor-rapper’s observations ring true to this day. Miami is still a city where the stars come out to play. On this night however, and unfortunately from a Scottish perspective , Vinícius Júnior came to play his way through their defence. Just as thousands of Scots colonised Boston, so it appeared that the entire upper middle class of São Paulo had come to Florida for this big game. Brazilian celebrities had followed too, the most obvious being Ronaldinho who not only officially signed for a third division Italian side while in the city, but was afforded a VVIP spot just outside the players’ tunnel where he could greet the players, and manager Carlo Ancelotti, as they made their way out. The result was an atmosphere inside Miami Stadium equivalent to a Brazil home game, with three of the four stands wall-to-wall yellow. They may not have made as much noise as the Tartan Army, but they didn’t spend all that money for a ticket without having some investment in the outcome. Yes, there was the requirement for a result that would secure qualification and perhaps first place in the group, but people were here to see the stars show out, and show out they certainly did. …