Clarke was blunt when asked for his immediate reaction post-match.
“We made it difficult for ourselves, that’s it,” he told BBC Sport. “We gave them the goals, we gave them the game they wanted. Disappointing.”
The 62-year-old – who signed a new deal with the national team until 2030 earlier this year – then gave a slightly more in-depth interview with a similar level of pessimism.
“It was unbelievable the shift the players put in, the ones who played 90 minutes in that heat and humidity were outstanding, but we have to be better if we want to compete at this level,” he said.
“In the first four or five minutes we passed the ball well and then made a mistake. You cannot do that at this level because it puts you on the back foot and it becomes a long night.
“For sure I think we’re going home.
“Only Scotland can get a winnable first game and then get number five and number six in the world.”