An early goal from Ismael Saibari proved decisive as Morocco secured a 1-0 victory over Scotland in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Group C encounter.
Morocco got off to the perfect start when Saibari found the back of the net just one minute and 11 seconds after kickoff, giving his side an advantage they would hold onto for the remainder of the match.
The goal is the fastest scored at the tournament so far, although it remains well short of the all-time FIFA World Cup record of 10.8 seconds, set by Turkey’s Hakan Şükür against South Korea in 2002.
Scotland struggled to break through Morocco’s disciplined defence and failed to find an equaliser, allowing the North African side to claim all three points.
Morocco entered the match on the back of a 1-1 draw with Brazil in their opening Group C fixture, while Scotland had begun their campaign with a narrow 1-0 win over Haiti.
The victory keeps Morocco firmly in contention for a place in the knockout stages. The Atlas Lions are making their seventh FIFA World Cup appearance, with their best performance coming in 2022 when they became the first African nation to reach the semi-finals.
Scotland, appearing at their ninth FIFA World Cup, are still chasing their first appearance beyond the group stage after exiting in the opening round in each of their previous eight campaigns.
Morocco will face Haiti in their final Group C match next Thursday at 10am, while Scotland take on Brazil at the same time in a crucial fixture that could determine their tournament fate.
