Boston, Jun 20 (V7N) – Morocco strengthened their hopes of reaching the FIFA World Cup knockout stage with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Scotland, dealing a major setback to the European side's qualification ambitions.
The Group Stage clash was played at Foxborough Stadium in Boston, United States, at 4:00 a.m. Bangladesh time on Saturday (June 20).
Morocco made the perfect start as Ismail Saberi found the back of the net just 70 seconds into the match. The forward fired home from a tight angle inside the penalty area to register what was reported as the fastest goal of the tournament so far.
The early strike stunned the large contingent of Scottish supporters and set the tone for the remainder of the first half. Morocco controlled much of the play, while Scotland struggled to gain momentum, enjoying less than 40 percent possession and failing to register a single shot on target before the break.
Morocco nearly doubled their lead in the second half when Saberi struck the crossbar with another effort from inside the box. Despite the missed opportunity, the African side remained in control defensively.
Scotland attempted to mount a late comeback, with head coach Steve Clarke introducing several attacking players from the bench. The pressure increased in the closing stages, and the Scottish side appealed for a penalty after Scott McTominay went down inside the box. However, the referee waved play on, and no VAR review was conducted.
The defeat leaves Scotland's hopes of reaching the World Cup knockout stage for the first time in their history hanging by a thread.
Scotland will now face Brazil in their final group-stage match, where their qualification hopes are likely to depend on securing a positive result. Meanwhile, Morocco's victory significantly strengthens their chances of advancing to the next round.
END/SMA/AJ
