Foxborough, 20 June (H.S.):

Morocco delivered an impressive performance to defeat Scotland 1-0 in the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Friday, registering their first victory of the tournament and taking a significant step towards the knockout stage. The match's only and decisive goal came from Ismael Saibari just 71 seconds after kick-off, making it the fastest goal scored at this World Cup so far.

The victory was crucial for Morocco, who now have four points from two matches and occupy a strong position in Group C, moving within touching distance of a place in the Round of 32.

The 25-year-old Saibari had also found the net in Morocco's previous match against Brazil. This time, he capitalised brilliantly on an early opportunity to hand Scotland an immediate setback. Reports suggest that Saibari could soon complete a high-profile transfer from Dutch club PSV Eindhoven to German giants Bayern Munich for a substantial fee.

Morocco controlled the contest for long periods and created several scoring opportunities but were unable to extend their advantage. Bilal El Khannouss missed a promising chance in the first half.

The North Africans continued to apply pressure after the break. In the 50th minute, another effort from Saibari struck the crossbar. Shortly afterwards, Scotland goalkeeper Angus Gunn produced an excellent save to deny Morocco a second goal.

Scotland struggled to impose themselves offensively throughout the match and rarely troubled Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. Ryan Christie and Scott McTominay made late attempts to salvage an equaliser, but Morocco's defence held firm to secure all three points.

Scotland must now defeat Brazil in their next group-stage match to keep their hopes of reaching the knockout stage alive, while Morocco will face Haiti in their final Group C fixture.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar