Key events
59 min: Looks like a problem for Tierney, who goes down, and it looks as if Ben Gannon-Doak’s speed will be added. Tierney is done for the day. A reshuffle is asked of the Scotland team.
57 min: Scotland trying to get up in the grill of their opponents who have superior technique and movement. Hendry does well to not dive in on a twinkling Diaz. They need to keep their discipline.
55 min: Ferguson takes the ball of Hakimi and then Bouaddi, who has been quiet, smashes over the Scotland man. He’s 18, and some player.
54 min: Colin Livingstone gets in touch: “Not grumbling too much because 1-0 at HT after that start is a bit of a result – still, El Aynaoui had fully three yellow card offences in 45 minutes – really poor refereeing.
“Also, get Shankland and Doak on, and take the game on – bus parking on the few tournaments that we make is not what we are here for, what is even the point?”
They would be my choices.
53 min: Saibari again causing problems, Gunn claiming it as the ball comes loose, and gratefully so. Morocco stepping back up their first-half dominance, with Diaz flickering all over the place.
52 min: That’s the threat the Moroccans possess, Saibari in particular. Scotland beware. Hakimi’s corner is very good and El Khannous knocks goalward, Gunn saving.
It looks like Angus Gunn will have a busy half. Photograph: Maddie Meyer/FIFA/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 19.19 EDT
51 min: Morocco hit the bar, Saibari sliding in, and his shot rattling off and out.
50 min: McGinn barrels through, goes over, and Scotland want a penalty. There’s a brief delay after El Aynaoui’s tackle. VAR chooses not to take any action. That’s that. It looked soft at best.
Neil El Aynaoui goes in on John McGinn. Photograph: Justin Setterfield/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 19.14 EDT
48 min: Robertson on the left begin a slow passing move, and ends with a cross that’s deflected for a throw. Tierney has to step deep off the field to launch a long throw that’s too easily cleared.
ShareBack underway in Foxboro…
46 min: More rawk music closes out the break, as does a countdown and then Scotland kick for touch from the kickoff. They then attempt to press higher. No changes made, as yet. Ben Gannon-Doak seems an option.
Some reaction to earlier events in Seattle.
Colum Fordham has his say: “ One-sided this may have been and Morocco are technically on another planet but if Scotland show the resolve they’ve played with in the last ten minutes, they might be able to hang on and scrape a point. My favourite Scotland player Andy Robertson has hit a few decent through balls and one good cross.
“Here in Naples, the locals will be gunning for McTominay but he has barely seen the ball. Hopeful he’ll show a bit of his Napoli form in the second half. A shout out to my Scottish friend and diehard Scotland fan Alan.”
As does Kari Tulinius: “Morocco look better this time around than they did in Qatar, which probably means they’ll go out in the round of 32 to Sweden or Japan, because international football is silly like that. But if logic prevails, they’ll be a fearsome opponent to whoever’s in their quarter of the bracket. Bouaddi, El Aynaoui and Ounahi is a really strong midfield.”
Steven Grundy gets in touch: “Very difficult to fathom what Scotland’s plan is. We’re getting torn to shreds. Why is Gannon-Doak not playing? Also, why is McTominay anonymous again?
“Admittedly, we looked a bit better in the last 5 minutes of the second half. But Clarke needs a Tuchel-style team talk and to tell his team that, somehow, we still have a chance of getting something.”
And a gallery from this game, too.
Glory days, to quote a famous American on a huge day for the USMNT. Here’s the best pics.
ShareHalf-time: Scotland 0-1 Morocco
It could not have started worse for Scotland and it could have been worse. Morocco played some delightful stuff. And yet the half ends with a Scottish mini-revival that will need to be repeated in the second half.
45+4 min: Morocco the team awaiting the break now? Their earlier dominance has abated, that’s for sure.
45+3 min: A roar greets Scotland’s best football of the game, Tierney having two shots saved. There’s a VAR look at a challenge on Ferguson but nothing doing.
45+2 min: Scotland looking better. Adams almost gets to a Patterson ball then Robertson smashes in a cross and McGinn can only deflect behind. Still: better.
A chance for John McGinn. Photograph: Peter Cziborra/ReutersShare
Updated at 18.57 EDT
45 min: Morocco may feel they should have had more from the half. Five minutes are added on.
44 min: McGinn is fouled by the touchline. Ferguson’s free-kick is excellent and hurried away by a relieved Moroccan defence. McGinn has turned up the hustle and knocks over Mazraoui.
43 min: Saibari’s run is halted. Scotland holding a little firmer than before. The possession stats of 38-62% seem generous; no shots yet from Scotland.
41 min: Steve Clarke can be heard on the pitchside mics. He doesn’t sound happy. His team are hanging on for half-time.
40 min: From a free-kick, Robertson’s ball into the corner finds Hanley offside.
38 min: Some Diaz wizardry pulls a host of Scotland defenders all over the place. Eventually they get the ball clear, somehow, quantity if not quality showing.
37 min: Saibari blazes over but there was surely a foul when McTominay was tripped by the prone El Khannous.
35 min: Saibari and El Khannous link, sending Mazraoui to the line. The passing moves from this team are excellent, the highest class. Scotland can’t live with them.
33 min: McGinn and Christie offer a glimmer of a passing move but then Ferguson is loose in the next pass. Away go Morocco, the Scottish fans booing Hakimi’s every touch, and he’s getting plenty of them.
31 min: Peter Oh gets in touch: “Ismael Saibari not only just won the league with PSV, he was also voted Eredivisie player of the year. His stunner and total football flair are infusing a bit of classic 70s Scotland v Netherlands flavour to this match.”
Niall Mullen does too: “Is there anything more offensive in this World Cup than the music during the hydration breaks? Each song guaranteed to be on rotation in the worst pub in town.”
30 min: Diaz and Saibari link up, and Ounahi has time and space to shoot but smashes over.
29 min: The Tartan Army seem to have wilted. Not much noise from them.
One fan makes his own fun. Photograph: Javier García/ShutterstockShare
Updated at 18.37 EDT
27 min: We resume with Bounou launching the ball into the Scottish half. They can deal with that stuff, less so the passing football that the new Morocco have shown off. One positive for Scotland is that this is not a team full of goals; certainly not the case at AfCon.
25 min: Thomas Gray gets in touch: “Scotland were camped in my hometown, Santa Fe, NM, for their preparation of the 1986 World Cup. The team had a small clinic with our youth club team. Talk about learning what a player really was. I remember seeing how hard they could smash the ball, and that with all their muscularity, they also had an incredible touch. I have a nice polaroid (look it up, kids) of me and Archie Knox, the assistant coach. Naturally, the real gaffer couldn’t be bothered with snot nosed brats…”
The gaffer moved to Manchester later that year…
24 min: A hydration/advertising break awaits. First, the free-kick, from Ferguson, smashed clear by Mazraoui. The boos signify the break has arrived. In the stands: Pep Guardiola is seen as Don’t Stop Believing plays on the PA. A message for all Scots there.
23 min: Scotland try to gain a foothold, and there’s howls when Adams is pulled back. Issa Diop, former Hammer, is booked for a cynical pull-back.
22 min: Justin Kavanagh’s back in touch: “I think Scotland fans of a certain vintage might be having flashbacks to 1978. All that’s missing are those gorgeous red sashes across the shirts of the team in all white.”
21 min: Tony Hughes has lost heart already: “We have to be realistic here. I’ve followed Scotland since the 1970s and if there’s one thing you learn it’s that when it matters, Scotland usually cannot get it done. Now that’s often because we’re up against a much better team, like we are tonight, but we’ve seen this game play out a million times.
This game should finish 0-4 or something like that.”
Hanley, at least, deals well with a corner, at the cost of another corner. McTominay heads away the next, and Gunn makes another – easier – save from Hakimi, who has the freedom of Massachusetts at the moment.
18 min: Angus Gunn to Scotland’s rescue when Hakimi makes his through on the overlap. His foot, his dangling foot, stopped the ball from dribbling in. Pat Jennings-style use of the feet.
Angus Gunn rushes out to deny Hakimi. Photograph: Andrew Milligan/PAShare
Updated at 18.30 EDT
17 min: Scotland continue to struggle to hold the ball. Their vaunted midfielders can barely get a touch though McGinn at least gets stuck in. Patterson comes forward and gets a tough challenge. McTominay can’r seem to find a blue shirt.
16 min: Fin gets in touch: “To be fair to Hanley he wasn’t the quickest at his peak. He moved with the grace of a wardrobe when he filled in for my club in League One a season ago, so he can’t be expected to get out in time now. That’s on Clarke.”
Hanley did OK against Haiti but this is another level.
14 min: An oasis of calm as Scotland try to pass the ball around. It’s launched and Adams must chase it in the loose. That’s a thankless task. The Torino man will be asked to do lots of chasing today, mostly of shadows if this continues.
12 min: Saibari is causing all types of problems and Hakimi, the danger man, is let go on one of his overlaps. The ball is hacked clear. The star man – of a team of stars – has the run of his flank.
1o min: It could have been two. Christie loses the ball, perhaps fouled, Ounahi fizzing the ball across goal. Saibari and Diaz just failed to read it. The ball is cleared with anguish; this could get ugly.
Saibari causing more problems for Scotland. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 18.19 EDT
9 min: Saibari looked to take a knock as the latest Moroccan attack took shape but he soon enough runs it off. He’s headed for Bayern Munich from PSV. The Moroccan fans are making the loudest noise and the Tartan Army are being drowned out. Just like their team.
7 min: A first Scotland attack, launched by McGinn. Adams and Christie can’t win the loose ball. Morocco did not look too convincing in defence, though we are told they lost one of their last 50 matches.
5 min: That five at the back did not do much in the way of locking the back door for the Scots. Morocco look so comfortable, just as they did against Brazil.
4 min: Well, to quote Graham Taylor, this is a test. Scotland will need to hold on to the ball far better than that. And defend better, too.