Morocco beats Scotland, reaches 5th in world rankings at 2026 World Cup

The match was decided very quickly on the pitch at Boston’s stadium in Foxborough. From the second minute of play, Ismael Saibari opened the scoring by capitalizing on a precise pass from Brahim Diaz. This early goal forced the Scottish players to abandon their defensive strategy in search of an equalizer. For their part, Achraf Hakimi’s teammates maintained the pressure to try to beat goalkeeper Angus Gunn a second time, but lacked precision in the final touch despite repeated incursions into the penalty area.

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Scotland began the second half with decidedly offensive intentions, multiplying attempts to trouble Yassine Bounou. The Moroccan defensive block nevertheless held firm, effectively repelling the opposing attacks. The players quickly regained control of the ball and imposed their rhythm. They created two clear-cut chances to extend their lead, unfortunately squandered in turn by Ismael Saibari and Bilal El Khannouss. The final ten minutes saw intense Scottish pressure, with the national team relying on quick counterattacks to protect their advantage.

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This narrow victory allows the team to earn valuable points in the race for qualification in this World Cup organized by the United States, Canada and Mexico. It provisionally sits at the top of Group C with a total of 4 points, ahead of Scotland (3 points), Brazil (1 point) and Haiti (0 points). Beyond the tournament’s competitive stakes, this positive result also allows the team to rise directly to fifth place in the world rankings, pending Brazil’s result.