Saibari’s early strike sinks Scotland and sends Morocco top of Group C

Scotland barely had time to settle before this one slipped away from them. Ismael Saibari struck after little more than a minute in Boston on Friday, and that early goal was all Morocco needed to win 1-0, move top of Group C and leave Steve Clarke’s side staring at a must-win finale against Brazil.

Gone in 70 seconds

The goal came almost straight from kick-off. Grant Hanley played Saibari onside from a Brahim Díaz pass, and Saibari curled a finish into the top corner from a tight angle inside the box. It was timed at around 70 seconds, the fastest goal of this World Cup and the quickest the tournament has seen since Alphonso Davies struck early for Canada in 2022. It was also Saibari’s second goal in as many games.

That was the worst possible start against a side as comfortable in front as Morocco, and it set the pattern for the night. The tens of thousands of Scotland fans inside Foxborough Stadium had barely taken their seats, and the noise drained out of the Tartan Army’s corner almost as quickly as the ball hit the net.

Scotland never got going

Mohamed Ouahbi’s Morocco were happy to sit in and let Scotland come at them, and Scotland could not find a way through. Clarke’s men did not register a single shot on target across the 90 minutes. They had six attempts in total, none that troubled the goalkeeper, and an expected goals figure of around 0.2 tells the story of a team that created almost nothing.

Their best hope of a leveller came from a penalty shout. Scott McTominay went down under contact from Neil El Aynaoui inside the box late on, but referee Ilgiz Tantashev waved it away and the incident was not sent for a VAR review, much to Scotland’s fury. It was that kind of evening.

What it means for Group C

The result reshapes the group. Morocco, who held Brazil in their opener, now have four points and sit top with a final game against Haiti still to come. Scotland, who beat Haiti to open their campaign, stay on three and must wait on the Brazil game before knowing exactly what they need.

It leaves them with the hardest assignment imaginable. Scotland have never reached the knockout stage of a World Cup, and to change that they may well have to get a result against Brazil in their final group match. On this evidence, they will need to find a great deal more going forward than they managed here.

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