A thunderous strike from Morocco forward Ismael Saibari stunned Scotland inside two minutes in Boston, as Steve Clarke’s side suffered a 1-0 defeat in their second Group C match.
The Tartan Army were forced to endure a pretty fire 45 minutes as Scotland struggled to cope with Morocco’s attacking threats.
However, the African side couldn’t add to their goal tally and while Scotland did improve in the second half, it was a frustrating afternoon for them, with their hopes of progressing to the round of 32 in the balance.
Here’s a look at how Scotland fared on Friday evening.
Manager rating (out of 10)
Steve Clarke, 7 — There wasn’t much Steve Clarke could have done about his side’s first half performance. They were rocked early and took about 40 minutes to recover. He made changes mid-way through the second half but you feel he could have revved his side up a bit more and urged the players to gamble a bit more as the game drew to a close.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best, 5 = average)
GK Angus Gunn, 8 — No keeper would have stopped Saibari’s goal and Gunn recovered to make a couple of big saves which would have seen his side go 2-0 and 3-0 down. He wasn’t helped by the defenders in front of him but remained calm under significant pressure.
RB: Nathan Patterson, 6 — A pretty quiet performance from the right back. There looked to be a couple of instances where Patterson and McGinn could have communicated better in the first half. He played a nice ball through for McTominay for the second half.
CB Grant Hanley, 5 — Although there was nothing anyone could do about the finish, Hanley lost track of Saibari as he went on to score a sensational opening goal. Hanley tried to play him offside, failed, and there was no stopping hte Moroccan forward from then.
CB Jack Hendry, 6 — Made some big defensive plays, one on Saibari and another on Diaz in the second half which were crucial. Looked strong after a terrible first half for his side.
LB Andrew Robertson, 7 — The former Liverpool man had Achraf Hakimi and Brahim Diaz coming at him all afternoon and while he couldn’t exactly keep pace with them for the 90 minutes he did enough to thwart them. You could see he was desperate to show his composure to his teammates and his experience shone through.
RM John McGinn, 6 — Struggled to ask too many questions of Manchester United’s Noussair Mazraoui and Saibari who dropped deep on occasion. They were comfortable playing around the Scottish workhorse. His Moroccan counterparts also had little trouble taking card of the Aston Villa star when he did get the ball.
CM Lewis Ferguson, 7 — Proved a calm head in front of the back four. Tried to get his team forward and defended well for the most part.
CM Ryan Christie, 5 — A few poor touches and looked off the pace of the game from the start. Took too long on the ball at times and perhaps struggled with the pace.
CM Scott McTominay, 6 — Struggled to get into game early on. Had a few loose touches and couldn’t impose himself at all in the first half. Scotland missed his ability to use his physicality, grab the game and make things happen. He had a couple of bright moments late on but it wasn’t enough.
LM Kieran Tierney, 5 — A very low-key game from the Celtic star. He was no match for Diaz and Hakimi. Another who would have been desperate to get more attacking chances but they simply didn’t come.
ST Ché Adams, 5 — Had a hugely difficult job trying to press and create anything as a long striker. Worked hard but nothing but didn’t really get opportunities.
Substitutes (players introduced after 70 minutes = no rating)
RM Ben Gannon-Doak, (Tierney, 60), 6 — Replaced Tierney and went on to the right. Changed things up with McGinn going to the left but failed to ask real questions of Morocco’s defence.
ST Lyndon Dykes (Adams, 71), NR — Had a chance from a corner late on but couldn’t hit the target. Brought some good energy when he came on but, same as Adams, had a tough job to do.
CM Kenny McLean (Christie, 71), NR — Steadied things up in the midfield and Scotland looked more put together when he came on. A shout to start against Brazil.
RB Anthony Ralston (Patterson, 89), NR — Not given much time to make an impact but came on and gave it a crack.
ST Ross Stewart (McGinn, 89), NR — Too-little-too-late. Would have liked more time to use fresh legs and go at Morocco’s defence.
