Scott McTominay stood in disbelief, arms outstretched, as Uzbekistani referee Ilgiz Tantashev waved away his penalty appeal. The Napoli midfielder had charged into the box, only to be bundled over from behind by Moroccan defender Neil El Aynaoui. The VAR checked, but deemed the tackle legal. Replays suggested otherwise.
ITV referee analyst Christina Unkel was unequivocal. "The first thing you’re looking for as VAR is any touch on that ball and the answer is no," she said. "There is a trip up from behind, contact on the left lower leg. This is a very clear penalty in my opinion." Scotland legend Ally McCoist, commentating for ITV, agreed: "Christina is right, he did get that one wrong."
“Scotland lose 1-0 to Morocco amid penalty controversy as VAR denies McTominay clear spot-kick.”
The incident came in a match Scotland had to win to keep top spot in Group C. Instead, they fell behind after just two minutes when Ismael Saibari's rocket silenced the Tartan Army in Boston. Steve Clarke's side struggled to create real opportunities against the Africa Cup of Nations winners, who were good value for their 1-0 victory.
Not everyone was convinced by McTominay's case. Roy Keane said bluntly: "I don't think it was a penalty. He was kind of looking to go down." Ange Postecoglou agreed: "The Moroccan defender gets his leg out, but I don't think that's enough. He was going down anyway."
But McTominay's fury was plain as he protested to Tantashev. The decision leaves Scotland's last-32 hopes knocked, having been knocked off top spot. The Tartan Army, who once again descended on Foxborough, were left to wonder what might have been.