MOROCCO have moved to the verge of the World Cup round of 32 after Ismael Saibari scored the fastest goal of the tournament so far to condemn Scotland to a narrow defeat in Foxborough.
Morocco defeated Scotland 1-0 in a FIFA World Cup 2026 Group C match at the Boston Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts with Saibari scoring the only goal of the match in the second minute.
The prospective Bayern Munich signing struck after just 71-seconds at the Gillette Stadium near Boston to secure a vital victory for the 2022 semi-finalists in a physical Group C encounter.
The decisive moment arrived almost immediately after kick-off when Brahim Diaz delivered a precise pass that caught Grant Hanley flat-footed, failing to spring an offside trap.
Reuters reported that Saibari, the 25-year-old winger who also scored in Morocco's opening draw with Brazil, controlled the ball cleanly before unleashing a powerful strike past Scotland goalkeeper Angus Gunn to stun the sixty-four thousand, one hundred and forty-six spectators in attendance.
The early setback forced Scotland manager Steve Clarke to rethink his strategy, having made three changes to his starting line-up, including the introduction of Kieran Tierney into a five-man defence designed to contain the Moroccan attack.
Despite the defensive reinforcement, Morocco controlled much of the possession and squandered an excellent opportunity to double their lead in the 36th minute when Bilal El Khannouss missed the target.
Scotland struggled to pose a consistent attacking threat, creating their first genuine opening only moments before the referee blew for half-time. The match grew increasingly tense after the interval, with Scottish midfielder Scott McTominay appealing fiercely for a penalty after going down under a challenge from Neil El-Aynaoui, though match official Ilgiz Tantashev waved away the protests.
The result leaves Morocco in a commanding position in Group C with four points from two matches, requiring only a positive result in their final fixture to guarantee progression.
Saibari, who was born in Spain and raised in Belgium, demonstrated exactly why the German giants PSV Eindhoven are reportedly close to finalising a 55 million euro transfer to Bayern Munich.
In contrast, Scotland face immense pressure ahead of their final group stage match against Brazil in Miami next week.
Having secured their first World Cup victory since 1990 by defeating Haiti in their opening game, Clarke’s side failed to maintain momentum and must now secure a result against the South American heavyweights to keep their tournament alive. - June 20, 2026
