FOXBOROUGH (United States), June 20 — Scotland players led by star John McGinn retained the belief that they can secure a historic qualification for the knockout phase of the World Cup despite going down 1-0 to Morocco in their second match on Friday.

A brilliant second-minute strike by Ismael Saibari settled the Group C game in Morocco’s favour at the Gillette Stadium near Boston, leaving the Atlas Lions on four points and Scotland on three with one match still to play.

Steve Clarke’s team beat Haiti 1-0 at the same stadium in their first outing, but now face needing to get something against Brazil next Wednesday to be sure of a place in the last 32.

“Tonight we showed we can compete with the teams in the top 10. Brazil will be a different game, they play with less structure but they have quality that can hurt you at any point,” McGinn told reporters after a battling Scotland display in which they lacked quality in the final third.

“We will need to be at our best. We know what we need to do to try to get through to the next round.”

Scotland showed great resilience after conceding the earliest goal of the World Cup so far, and caused problems right to the end against a Morocco side who lie seventh in the Fifa rankings.

Aston Villa skipper McGinn felt he should have had a penalty, but they struggled to seriously test Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.

“We are a resolute group and what we lack sometimes in quality to compete with the top 10, we have in fight and character,” added McGinn, who was Scotland’s match winner against Haiti.

“Can we improve? Of course we can, but we keep going. I think the second half showed that once we get after teams, no one likes being under pressure, even players at the top level make mistakes as they were near the end.”

Scotland are appearing at the World Cup for the ninth time and are desperate to make it beyond the group stage at a major competition for the first time ever.

Brazil await 

“It just shows you how difficult it is to win a World Cup game. Every team is top, top level,” midfielder Lewis Ferguson told broadcaster ITV.

“I am delighted with the response but gutted with the result. We probably deserved a point.”

Coach Clarke added: “This group of players, this squad, have shown that resilience in abundance over the years. They’re in there, they are flat, disappointed, but we’ve got another chance.”

“We’re here to try and do what no Scottish team has done before. We gave it everything tonight, and we’ll try and do it again.”

Having played their first two matches in Massachusetts, where the Tartan Army have taken over Boston, they now return to their base in Charlotte, North Carolina.

From there they head to Miami, the venue for the game against sixth-ranked Brazil – that will mean adapting to the warmer Florida conditions.

“I’ll be keeping my eye on the weather app,” joked McGinn, as Scotland prepare to play the record five-time champions at a World Cup for the fifth time.

“I have played in Orlando before and it is tough going. But we have prepared for it. We had the pre-camp there.”

“Scotland against Brazil in Miami to make some history is something you dream of. We will prepare right as we have throughout the whole tournament and we have to go one step further.” — AFP

FOXBOROUGH, June 20 — Achraf Hakimi walked out for Morocco’s World Cup clash against Scotland carrying more than just the captain’s armband.

Hours after a French appeals court confirmed he must stand trial on rape charges he denies, the Paris Saint-Germain defender was greeted by whistles and boos from sections of the 64,000-strong crowd at Gillette Stadium near Boston.

The jeers followed him throughout the match, with some supporters booing whenever he touched the ball.

Yet while the crowd made its feelings known, Morocco’s dressing room presented a very different picture.

“He was there in the dressing room, focused and determined to put in a big performance. He did that, and so there is nothing to say. We are behind him, and he is very calm, totally unfazed,” coach Mohamed Ouahbi said after the game, AFP reported today.

The 27-year-old is accused of raping a 24-year-old woman at his home in the Paris region in 2023.

Hakimi has consistently denied the allegation and appealed against an earlier decision ordering him to stand trial.

Yesterday, a court in Versailles rejected that appeal, paving the way for the case to proceed.

In a brief social media response after the ruling, Hakimi wrote: “At last, I will be able to speak.”

Morocco’s players largely avoided discussing the case, but Ouahbi repeatedly defended his captain and sought to keep the focus on football.

“We didn’t talk about it and we don’t have to. We are behind him. Hopefully he will show at this World Cup that he is the best right back in the world,” the coach said, German news agency dpa reported separately.

Hakimi completed the full match as Morocco beat Scotland 1-0 thanks to Ismael Saibari’s goal after just 71 seconds, the fastest strike of the tournament so far.

The result left Morocco with four points from two matches after opening their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Brazil, putting the 2022 semi-finalists firmly on course for the knockout rounds.

“He will play more great games. He is the best right-back in the world and he is going to show that at this World Cup,” Ouahbi told AFP.

For one night at least, Morocco’s World Cup ambitions remained on track even as the controversy surrounding their captain followed him from a French courtroom to football’s biggest stage.

KUALA LUMPUR, June 16 — Fifa’s obsession with “clean stadiums” has turned this World Cup into a branding hide and seek game, with organisers scrambling to cover up logos and sponsors in ways that are sometimes more comical than convincing.

According to The Athletic, the 39 day tournament requires host stadiums to remove or conceal all non Fifa sponsor logos, a process that has led to curious sights for fans and media alike.

At the Levi’s Stadium in California, where the venue has been temporarily rebranded as “San Francisco Bay Area Stadium”, fans noticed the iconic Levi’s logo covered only by a sheet, prompting the jeans maker to poke fun online with a viral TikTok clip.

Similar measures have appeared elsewhere. 

In Boston, Gillette Stadium’s credit card machines were replaced, while in Philadelphia blue tape covered parts of signage at Lincoln Financial Field. At MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, site of the July 19 final, organisers masked most references but the venue’s name remained faintly visible behind boards, and cupholders still bore the logo.

Inside venues, the rules extend to the smallest details, The Athletic reported. At Levi’s Stadium’s press box, apparently, condiment bottles had their labels taped over.

Despite the challenges, it would seem that organisers have largely managed to comply, ensuring that non Fifa branding is rarely visible.