Morocco secured a 1-0 victory over Scotland in a Group C 2026 World Cup match on June 19. The only goal came just 71 seconds into the game, scored by Ismael Saibari, marking his second goal in two World Cup appearances [1, 2, 3, 4].

Saibari’s goal stemmed from a pass by Brahim Diaz that caught Scotland’s defense off guard early in the match [1, 2, 4]. The 25-year-old forward, who plays for PSV Eindhoven and is set to transfer to Bayern Munich for €55 million, was named man of the match for his performance [5, 6, 7, 8, 9]. Under coach Mohamed Ouahbi, Saibari was repositioned from winger and playmaker to central striker, boosting his scoring productivity [5, 7]. He has now matched Egypt’s Mohamed Salah as only the second African player to score in his first two World Cup matches [5, 6, 7, 8, 9].

Morocco’s coach Mohamed Ouahbi said his team controlled the game better than in the 1-1 draw against Brazil and praised Saibari’s quick goal as key to the win. “We controlled the whole game and, in terms of efficiency, I saw it as actually better than the first game,” Ouahbi stated [10]. He also defended captain Achraf Hakimi, who faced jeers amid a pending trial in a French rape case, calling Hakimi "extraordinary" and emphasizing the player’s focus and composure despite the controversy [10, 11].

Morocco now leads Group C with 4 points after drawing Brazil and beating Scotland [1, 2, 4]. Scotland remains second with 3 points after its opening 1-0 win over Haiti on June 13 and will face Brazil in its next match on June 24 [1, 2, 4]. Scotland coach Steve Clarke deployed Kieran Tierney in midfield ahead of Andy Robertson for the Scotland lineup against Morocco [3]. Despite increasing their intensity in the second half, Scotland could not find an equalizer [1, 2, 3, 4].

Morocco intends to field its strongest side against Haiti on June 24, hoping to finish atop Group C. Coach Ouahbi said, “The objective will be to win the game and hopefully be number one in the group. So I’m going to field the best team possible, based on how physically ready the players are” [10].