A 70-second strike from Ismael Saibari left Scotland staring at World Cup elimination in Boston — but the match ended in a storm of controversy after Scott McTominay was denied what former striker Duncan Ferguson called a “stonewall penalty”.
Morocco led 1-0, and with eight minutes remaining, the Napoli midfielder carried the ball into the box and went down under a challenge from Neil El Aynaoui. Replays showed the Moroccan midfielder did not make contact with the ball, only the man, but referee Igliz Tantashev waved play on. VAR did not overturn the decision, leaving the Scottish players and the Tartan Army enraged.
“Scott McTominay denied late penalty as Scotland lose 1-0 to Morocco, splitting pundits and jeopardising World Cup hopes.”
“Absolutely, it was a penalty,” Ferguson said on ITV. “There was a big touch and then McTominay goes down. He's running at that speed, and I think he can get in [on goal].”
But Roy Keane and Ange Postecoglou took the opposite view. “I don’t think it is a penalty. Simple as that,” Keane said. “He is kind of looking to go down.” Postecoglou added: “The defender puts his leg out but I don’t think he gets enough of him for a penalty. He does get across him but not for a penalty. I think he was going down anyway.”
ITV’s referee specialist Christina Unkel admitted the initial decision was incorrect but not to a degree that would justify a VAR intervention. “You don’t need a lot for this to be a penalty,” she said. “It is a simple foul, there is contact at the knee portion and then one can argue there is a step a bit on the left boot. That for me is what I have seen given multiple times as a penalty decision.”
Unkel noted that Uzbek referee Tantashev is known for requiring more physical contact to award fouls. Keane, however, reiterated that “it’s a physical game.”
The denial proved decisive. Morocco held onto their one-goal lead, leaping above Scotland in Group C standings. Scotland now face Brazil in Miami on Wednesday, needing a win to keep their knockout hopes alive.
McTominay had pleaded with Tantashev as play continued, while Ferguson also believed John McGinn had a stronger penalty claim earlier. But none were given. “He does get across him, but not for a penalty,” Postecoglou said. “I think he was going down anyway — but Big Dunc says it’s a stonewall so I’m not going to disagree!”