Morocco took an important step in its aspirations within Group C by beating Scotland 1-0 at Gillette Stadium in Boston. The team led by Mohamed Ouahbi found the difference as soon as the match began and knew how to preserve it until the end to provisionally place itself at the top of its sector, while awaiting the result of the match between Brazil and Haiti.

The play that defined the game came before two minutes of play had passed. Ismael Saibari took advantage of an action built from the middle of the field and scored at 71 seconds, establishing the fastest goal of the 2026 World Cup so far.

The goal was born after an intervention by Brahim Díaz, who collected the ball in the middle zone and filtered a pass that broke the Scottish defensive structure. Saibari received with enough space to face the goal and resolved the action with a powerful shot that ended up becoming the only goal of the afternoon.

The Moroccan footballer was once again one of the outstanding figures of his team. After also scoring in the debut against Brazil, he had an outstanding performance in Boston. In addition to the goal, he generated constant danger thanks to his offensive movements, he came close to extending the lead on more than one occasion and even crashed a shot into the crossbar.

Morocco controls the match and Scotland does not find answers

With the advantage achieved from the start, the African team was able to play a comfortable match from a tactical aspect. Retreating with order and security, it limited the spaces for a Scotland that was forced to assume the lead role with the ball for much of the match.

The Scottish team had already gone through a similar situation in its presentation against Haiti and once again found it difficult to create clear chances. Their attack showed little fluidity and failed to transform possession into concrete opportunities to equalize the score.

Meanwhile, Morocco exhibited solidity in all its lines. Achraf Hakimi participated actively on the right sector, partnering with Brahim Díaz and frequently projecting himself into the attack. The Moroccan captain looked comfortable throughout the match and helped maintain control of the development of the game.

The match also left an emotional moment in the stands. With 14 minutes remaining, the fans present paid tribute to Donny Strathie, a Scottish fan who died last Sunday in Boston at the age of 76. The attendees of both teams dedicated a minute of applause to remember the member of the so-called Tartan Army, who could not fulfill his wish to attend a World Cup match for his team.

With this result, Morocco arrives stronger for the last day of the group stage. On June 24, they will face Haiti in Atlanta, while Scotland will seek to stay alive when they face Brazil in Miami, both matches scheduled at a unified time.