Saibari was fantastic
Early Goal Gives Morocco Victory Over Scotland
Morocco secured its first victory in its second attempt at the World Cup in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.
The North Africans defeated Scotland 1-0 on Friday in Boston and moved ahead of their European opponents in the Group C standings, now with four points, while Scotland trails by one point. The game was decided by the fastest goal of the current tournament. Ismael Saibari scored for the 2022 semifinalists in front of 64,146 fans just over a minute into the match.
The Moroccans fielded the same lineup as in their 1-1 draw against Brazil, a decision that certainly proved to be the right one given their lightning-fast start. Brahim Diaz played a pass over the defense to Saibari, and the forward finished beautifully into the far corner from a slightly acute angle.
It was the start of a dominant performance before halftime. Captain Achraf Hakimi (18th minute), Neil El Aynaoui (30th minute), and Bilal El Khannouss (36th minute) were unable to add to the lead due to a lack of finishing. The Scots, who made three changes to their lineup from the 1-0 win over Haiti, posed a threat only once. John McGinn failed to connect properly with a sharp cross from Robertson from a difficult angle (45’+1).
Applause for a Deceased Fan
Right after the restart, a 2-0 lead seemed imminent. First, a shot by Saibari was deflected off the crossbar (50'), then El Khannouss saw his header saved by Scottish goalkeeper Angus Gunn (52'). Otherwise, the Moroccans were content to protect their lead, which is partly why the Scots were clearly the better team. Ryan Christie missed the goal (64'), and Scott McTominay hit the side netting (85'). Minutes earlier, the fans in the stands had clapped for a minute in memory of longtime Scottish fan Donny Strathie, who had passed away a few days earlier in Boston at the age of 76.
The “Tartan Army’s” hopes of an equalizer were not to be realized; the Moroccans were actually closer to scoring. Ayoube Amaimouni narrowly missed the goal on the final chance (95').
Scotland - Morocco 0–1 (0–1)
Boston, 64,146 spectators, Referee Tantashev (UZB).
Goal: 0–1 (2.) Saibari
Scotland: Gunn – Patterson (88. Ralston), Hanley, Hendry, Robertson – McGinn (89. Stewart), Christie (71. McLean), Ferguson, Tierney (60. Gannon-Doak) – Adams (71. Dykes), McTominay
Morocco: Bounou – Hakimi, Diop, Riad, Mazraoui – El Aynaoui, Bouaddi – Diaz (83. Amaimouni), Ounahi (90. El Mourabet), El Khannouss (83. Talbi) – Saibari (83. Rahimi)
Yellow cards: Robertson, Ralston and Diop
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