Scotland’s World Cup campaign hit its first bump in the road overnight as they fell to a 1-0 defeat against Morocco – a result made all the more bitter by a contentious VAR decision that denied them a penalty.
Scott McTominay was fouled by Neil El Aynaoui inside the box, yet after a lengthy VAR review, the officials decided there was no case to answer. ITV referee analyst Christina Unkel was convinced it should have been a penalty. “Big decisions went against Scotland,” said BBC Sport Scotland’s Liam McLeod, echoed by James McFadden in their analysis of the three key moments that turned the match.
“Scotland denied a penalty in 1-0 World Cup defeat to Morocco, sparking VAR controversy.”
The frustration was compounded by the fact that a record six million Brits tuned in to watch the game, only to see Morocco take the lead through Ismael Saibari and hold on for victory.
Elsewhere on Saturday, Brazil blew Haiti away with a ruthless first-half blitz. Matheus Cunha scored a brace and Vinicius Junior added another as the five-time winners secured a 3-0 victory. In the early hours, history was made during Paraguay’s 1-0 win over Turkey: former Newcastle forward Miguel Almiron became the first player sent off under a new FIFA rule introduced at the end of April.
Meanwhile, the United States – co-hosts alongside Canada and Mexico – eased into the knockout stages with a comfortable 2-0 win over Australia, Cameron Burgess’s own-goal followed by an Alex Freeman header.
But the attention for Scottish fans will remain on the VAR controversy and what might have been. With the tournament still in its early stages, Steve Clarke’s side must regroup quickly if they are to keep their hopes alive.