Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face. Steve Clarke spent the days leading up to this game plotting a way to compete with the seventh-best team on the planet. Searching for a way to be compact and secure and win the point which would offer Scotland a chance of history.
Kieran Tierney and Andrew Robertson on the left to secure the flank against Achraf Hakimi. Ryan Christie in to beef up the midfield. Nathan Patterson in at right-back for Aaron Hickey.
It took 70 seconds for the best laid plans to fall to pieces. The quickest goal Scotland have ever conceded in a World Cup stemmed from a simple ball over the top and a poor decision Grant Hanley to try and play Ismael Saibari offside.
The Bayern Munich new boy produced a brilliant lobbed finish to open the scoring against Brazil. This one was even better, an unstoppable finish into the postage stamp corner giving Angus Gunn no chance. It was the worst possible start for Scotland.
They were all over the place in those early stages. There and then they would have taken the 1-0 defeat.
Passive and chasing shadows, Scotland managed just 12 passes into the final third in the opening 30 minutes, their lowest ever tally in that time frame at a World Cup finals. Until a huge, if fruitless, improvement late in the game Scotland were undone by opponents with superior athleticism and technical ability.
Morocco looked the seventh best team on the planet And the threat of embarrassment felt real. Clarke’s side finally - finally - began to pose an attacking threat in added time of the first half when Andrew Robertson crossed for John McGinn at the back post. The second half was so much better.
A penalty claim for McGinn early in the second half went the way of so many decisions made by the Uzbekistani referee. Morocco were given the benefit of the doubt and survived another trip on McTominay. The Scots could - should - have had two penalties.
Avoiding a second goal was important. Ir took a superb block from Jack Hendry to deny Saibari a second goal, deflecting the shot on to the junction of crossbar and upright while Gunn did well to keep out an El Khannouss header from a corner.
Scotland’s best move of the game came after 63 minutes, Ryan Christie lashing an 18 yard strike over the bar after McTominay rolled the ball into his path.
Scotland gave it their all in the final stages. They had to. Lyndon Dykes rose to meet a header, while McTominay was crowded out. Ross Stewart’s introduction was a final roll of the dice from Clarke which failed to produce the one big chance they needed.
The good news? Qualification is still more likely than not.
A CHANGED TEAM
Plenty think Steve Clarke is a cautious creature of habit. There was none of that Ayrshire introversion here.
Three changes to the team which faced Haiti were supposed to shore things up. Kieran Tierney in as a left midfielder to deal with the danger of world class Moroccan captain Achraf Hakimi . Nathan Patterson in for Aaron Hickey at right back. Ryan Christie came in for Lawrence Shankland in a 4-1-4-1 formation and struggled.
The absence of Ben Gannon Doak was the talker. The man with the pace and penetration in recent games was left on the bench, Clarke telling ITV before kick-off that his impact off the bench could be valuable. The Bournemouth speed merchant took to the field as a replacement for the injured Kieran Tierney on the hour mark.
Once again, Lewis Ferguson was Scotland’s best midfielder. The Bologna captain was excellent, while Kenny McLean made a impact as a substitute
THE REFEREE
The only individual flailing more than players in dark blue shirts was a referee completely out of his depth. Ilgiz Tantashev was lenient when he should have been harsh and harsh when he should have been lenient. The big decisions went against Scotland.
Fulham defender clambered over Che Adams after 23 minutes it looked suspiciously close to a red card for denial of a goalscoring opportunity. A one on one the Uzbekistani official gave Morocco the benefit of the doubt and settled for a yellow, with VAR seeing no reason to contradict.
The trend continued when Bilal El Khannouss had a glorious chance to make it 2-0 after McTominay was fouled in the middle of the field and play waved on. For the second game in succession it felt as the man in the middle - like Scotland’s performance - left something be desired. A Scotland free-kick four minutes before the interval drew ironic cheers from the Tartan Army.
The most bewildering of all came four minutes into the second half when John McGinn knocked the ball past El Aynaoui in the area and took a dunt to the left leg. Despite evidence of contact the decision - again - went Morocco’s way with no intervention.
There was a second claim when McTominay was nicked by the same player as he shaped up to pull the trigger eight minutes from time.
On nights like this it’s difficult to see what purpose VAR serves. A world class football team Morocco need no help from officials.
Read more:
- Ex-ref insists Scotland denied 'very clear penalty' in World Cup defeat to Morocco
- Scotland star 'commits ultimate sin' as Postecoglou dissects awful start vs Morocco
DID BIG PLAYERS TURN UP?
There is no reason why the likes of Scott McTominay and John McGinn should toil at this level. Nothing beyond the players around him.
Everywhere the Napoli midfield went Roma’s Neil El Aynaoui tracked him closely. So closely that Scotland’s number four should have had a spot kick with eight minutes to play.
The goalscorer against Haiti, even John McGinn’s backside failed to buy Scotland some breathing space. There was no faulting the Aston Villa man’s effort and both he and McTominay were key to Scotland’s late surge for an equaliser.
WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE THINGS?
Win a point against Brazil in Miami on Wednesday and Scotland will go through to the last 32. Avoid a four goal defeat and they still have a high probability of securing progress from the groups for the first time ever. After 70 seconds the Scots would have happily settled for a one goal defeat and it was important to avoid a heavy defeat. Make no mistake, it’s still there.
MINUTE’S APPLAUSE
Some things are more important than football. Friends and family of 76-year-old Scotland fan Donny Strathie, who died in Boston on Sunday, marked his life with a minute's applause in the 76th minute.
Fans in the Boston Stadium watched a tribute to the Falkirk grandfather on the massive screens, Steve Clarke joining in with the applause of a 64146 crowd.
