Scotland’s World Cup campaign remains alive after a gutting 1-0 defeat to Morocco in Boston left Steve Clarke’s side needing results to go their way.
For a man long criticised for caution and risk-averse tactics, Clarke threw the gambler’s instinct into full effect during a frenetic and dramatic closing spell.
He sent on Ben Gannon-Doak, Lyndon Dykes, and Ross Stewart from the bench as Scotland chased an equaliser with everything they had.
Scott McTominay was effectively playing centre-forward by the end, hitting the side-netting and having a shot smothered in a frantic finale.
Dykes headed over, McTominay threatened repeatedly, and Scotland pushed relentlessly despite leaving themselves wide open at the back.
Morocco were relieved men at the final whistle, having looked dominant for long spells before being rattled by Scotland’s late surge.
The goal came after just 71 seconds, Brahim Diaz providing the assist for Ismael Saibari to score the nightmare opener Clarke’s side had desperately wanted to avoid.
Achraf Hakimi caused Scotland enormous problems throughout, shifting between right-back and left winger in a dizzying display of attacking intent.
Clarke had deployed Kieran Tierney ahead of Andy Robertson on the left specifically to deal with the threats of Hakimi and Diaz, a plan that unravelled almost immediately.
Morocco were ranked sixth in the world and unbeaten for two and a half years, and for the first half-hour they looked every bit as dangerous as their billing suggested.
Scotland had no shots on target but showed extraordinary resilience, with Jack Hendry producing two huge defensive moments and Angus Gunn making a crucial save.
The contrast with Scotland’s Euros exit two summers ago was stark, with Clarke’s men refusing to go quietly in the way they had against Hungary in Germany.
Scotland had two penalty claims in the second half, one for McTominay and one for John McGinn, neither awarded, which only deepened the sense of frustration felt at the final whistle.
Lewis Ferguson looked pained and upset in his post-match television interview, while Robertson rubbed his hands over his face in visible anguish.
At one point in the dying seconds, Morocco centre-back Chadi Riad hoofed a clearance for a corner and screamed at his own midfielders, a sign of how rattled the Africans had become.
Scotland’s goal difference remains a key factor, with a 1-0 defeat far from disastrous in a group where the best third-placed teams will be determined by that margin.
They now face Brazil in Miami, heading into that game sore but with belief intact after showing they can compete and fight against high-quality opposition.
Morocco are gifted, stylish, and technically superior, but as this match showed, they are not ruthless finishers, and Scotland’s resilience kept the deficit to a single goal.
The lesson from the Euros has clearly been absorbed — fire shots, make noise, and never die wondering, regardless of the opponent or the occasion.
Heart alone may not be enough to reach the knockouts, but Scotland showed in Boston that they possess it in abundance, and that could yet prove decisive.
