A second-minute goal by Ismael Saibari was all Morocco needed. Scotland fell 1-0 in Boston on Friday, a result that leaves their chances of advancing from Group C in serious doubt.
According to BBC Sport, Saibari's early strike caught Scotland's defense out of position. Grant Hanley was caught trying to play Saibari offside, and the mistake proved decisive. Scotland goalkeeper Angus Gunn made strong saves to deny Achraf Hakimi and Bilal El Khannouss later in the match, but the team never found an equalizer.
Scotland's attack struggled throughout. Forward Che Adams managed only 11 touches in 70 minutes, with more of those coming in Scotland's own box than in Morocco's. Kieran Tierney, asked to play an unfamiliar role on the left side of midfield, came off injured and is listed as a doubt for Scotland's final group stage match.
The result sets up a critical final round on Wednesday. Scotland will face Brazil, while Morocco meets Haiti. Scotland currently has no points. Morocco entered with one point and now has four. A Scotland win over Brazil combined with a Haiti win or draw against Morocco would be needed for Scotland to have any realistic path forward.
Brazil, meanwhile, also sits on one point after its opening match against Morocco ended in a draw. The Brazilian national team faces Haiti on Friday night at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, with kickoff set for 9:30 p.m. Brasilia time. Manager Carlo Ancelotti confirmed changes from the Morocco match, with Danilo coming in at right-back and Matheus Cunha entering the attack.
Haiti, coached by Sebastien Migne, has zero points but showed fight in its opener against Scotland, generating 15 shots. The Caribbean side needs at least a point to keep its World Cup hopes alive. Casemiro and Ibañez of Brazil are each one yellow card away from an automatic suspension that would rule them out of the Scotland match.
The top two teams in Group C advance automatically. The eight best third-placed teams across all groups will also move on to the knockout round, leaving a slim mathematical path open for both Scotland and Haiti depending on results.
