Scotland Stun Brazil Via Greg Taylor Goal at 2017 Toulon Tournament

Left-back Greg Taylor struck an emphatic first-half goal to help Scotland beat Brazil 1-0 at the 2017 Toulon Tournament on Saturday. Taylor scored the winner nine minutes before half-time at the Stade Parsemain in Fos-sur-Mer, France, to put Scotland second behind the Czech Republic in Group C.

ESPN FC's Mark Donaldson confirmed the two starting XIs, with skipper Oliver Burke the obvious danger man for the Scots:

Burke sought to help Scotland control the ball in the early stages, but he found Brazil's midfield too stubborn and well-drilled to afford much space between the lines. In particular, Vinicius and Kazu were keeping their shape and forcing Burke and Co. to string passes wide.

Scotland tried to break Brazil down, and they came close to scoring when Craig Wighton missed a presentable chance in the box. Wighton then played RB Leipzig midfielder Burke in, but the captain's effort was blocked.

At the other end, Kazu also came close to breaking the deadlock when he rasped in a long-range drive.

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Burke's influence was growing, and the 20-year-old soon slid in a smart pass for Taylor to smash in for a deserved 1-0 lead.

As Donaldson noted, Scotland don't often enjoy this sort of advantage against opponents as illustrious as Brazil at international level:

Taylor's arrowed, left-footed drive meant Scotland were in command as the first half ended.

Burke continued to pull the strings after the break, even though defences were on top for most of the second half. However, Brazil did grow into the game during the final 20 minutes, with tricky winger Marquinhos Cipriano posing a consistent and considerable threat.

Sao Paulo gem Cipriano drew a series of fouls from Taylor and the rest of the Scottish back four, as his pace proved a problem. Seeking to give Cipriano more support, Brazil coach Carlos Amadeu introduced striker Gabriel Novaes off the bench.

Despite Novaes' introduction, Scotland did enough to hold on to their lead and stay alive in Group C.