Scotland faced off against Morocco on Friday evening in a pivotal matchup for Group C. After drawing with Brasil, the African nation bounced back with a 1-0 win.
Steve Clarke trotted out a new look starting XI with Scotland opting to play a 3-5-2. Angus Gunn remained in goal behind the backline featuring Jack Hendry and Kieran Tierney as two of the three center backs. Andy Robertson was once again on the flank with Scott McTominay and Liam Ferguson in the midfield. John McGinn and Che Adams were the key cogs in attack.
For Morocco, Achraf Hakimi started and captained Morocco on the same day the news broke that he would stand trail for a 2023 rape charge. Bono started in goal behind a backline that also featured Noussair Mazraoui (Manchester United).
Higher up the midfield, Bilal El Khannouss (Stuttgart) and Brahim Díaz (Real Madrid) were on the wings while striker Ismael Saibari (PSV) was up top as he is on the precipice of making a move to Bayern Munich.
It didn't take long for Morocco to find the back of the net as Saibari showed off why he will likely be heading to the German giants. The striker made a perfectly-timed run and blasted his shot past Gunn in the second minute of the match.
In the 17th minute, Gunn made a kick save to keep the deficit at one goal. Morocco got a corner in the 20th minute but was unable to take advantage of the chance as a recycled cross from Hakimi was captured by Gunn.
The first card of the game was issued to Issa Diop for a profeissonal foul in the 23rd minute.
Morocco was the dominant side for the majority of the first half. They controlled possession while Scotland struggled to get out of its own third. The European side had absolutley no bite in the attack.
Even when Scotland had the ball, Morocco did a good job of putting whoever was on the ball under pressure. It seemed as though Scotland players felt they had no time to think about what they were going to do with the ball and were just running on pure instinct.
McGinn nearly leveled the score in stoppage time but he wasn't able to control the whizzing cross from Robertson. It was the first sign of life for Scotland after a dismal showing. They continued to put the pressure on as halftime neared and likely were wishing the game would have continued rather than head to the locker room.
If Scotland were to make a comback, they needed more from McTominay. The midfielder was relatively absent during the first 45 minutes and the Scots desparetly needed him to make his mark.
The second half started with Scotland pressing forward. McGinn got into the box in the 49th minute and was taken down in the box but no penalty was given. Morocco stormed forward but a block from Hendry kept the scoreline level. Gunn made a crucial save in the 51st minute as well with a short-side stop.
In the 59th minute, Tierney was replaced by Ben Gannon-Doak. The decison to leave the Bournemouth man out of the starting XI was a headscratching choice as Gannon-Doak was one of the better players against Haiti.
Scotland nearly leveled the score as Ryan Christie got onto the ball at the top of the box in the 63rd minute but his shot sailed over the bar. Moments later, Robertson entered the books after taking down Hakimi in the 65th minute.
After the hydration break, Scotland made two changes as Adams and Christie were replaced by Lyndon Dykes and Kenny McLean. McTominay went down in the box as there was another penalty shout but the contact was waived off by the official.
The Napoli striker then launched a shot on net that was deflected out of bound for a corner in the 85th minute. Dykes got a head on the corner but the ball rocketed out of play. McTominay got another chance in the box in the 88th minute but failed to take advantage.
Two matches into the tournament, the Napoli man has been rather ordinary. In a crucial final group stage match, Scotland will need an improved performance from the midfielder.
Scotland will conclude group play with a match against Brasil while Morocco finishes the group by playing Haiti.
