Morocco beat Scotland 1-0 as Saibari scored the fastest goal of the World Cup 2026 | World Cup 2026 news

Ismael Saibari scored the fastest goal of the 2026 World Cup so far after 71 seconds as Morocco beat Scotland 1-0 to seal a place in the finals.

Saibari scored in Morocco’s 1-1 draw with Brazil last weekend, and his clinical finish just over a minute ended a tight contest at Boston Stadium on Friday.

A crowd of 64,146 fans arrived at the venue in Massachusetts, United States.

The 25-year-old, who was born in Spain and grew up in Belgium, is reportedly close to a £63m move from Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven to Bayern Munich.

The quality of his strike behind goalkeeper Angus Gunn showed why he attracted such attention, and it was telling that Scotland lacked the same quality in the opposition box – which helps explain why Morocco are fifth in the world, with Scotland 40.

With four points from two games, Morocco are now set to progress to the last 32 as they aim to complete their first ever tournament in Qatar in 2022.

However, it was a disappointing night for Scotland and their host to take on Boston at this World Cup, as their team did not really test Moroccan striker Yassine Bounou.

A hard-fought 1-0 win over Haiti in their opening match at the same stadium last week – their first World Cup win since 1990 – gave them a platform to build on and the prospect of progressing beyond the group stage at the World Cup for the first time.

Another win here would help them progress to Group C, but their chances of progressing are still up in the air in their next game against Brazil in Miami next Wednesday.

Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi went with an unchanged starting line-up for Brazil, but unlike Steve Clarke he made three changes.

Clarke looked to strengthen his defence, meaning striker Lawrence Shankland was withdrawn while defender Kieran Tierney came into the squad to make it five games.

But that didn’t really help as Morocco went ahead from the start.

The assist came from Real Madrid’s Brahim Diaz, and Grant Hanley played to Saibari’s side as the latter pulled the ball high, controlled it and rose into the net.

Morocco, who defeated Scotland 3-0 when the teams met at the 1998 World Cup, threatened to beat their opponents every time they advanced but lost, Bilal El Khannouss missed a good chance in the 36th minute.

Scotland were as solid in attack as they have been for a long time, and it took until half-time to create anything threatening.

It was a cross whipped in from the left by goalkeeper Andy Robertson that John McGinn could make nothing of, and the opening period ended without Bounou needing a save.

Morocco hit the woodwork five minutes into the second half when Saibari met El Khannouss’ cut-back, and his effort was deflected over the bar by Jack Hendry.

Moments later, Gunn made a good stop to block El Khannouss’ header from a corner taken by Hakimi, who was often booed by the crowd.

Morocco looked content to see the game out and soak up what Scotland could throw at them.

Ryan Christie fired home in the 64th minute after being pressed by Scott McTominay, who hit the net late on, but Scotland’s goal was not to be missed.

Morocco face Haiti in Atlanta on Wednesday, while Scotland face Brazil in Miami.

Why was Achraf Hakimi insulted?

Moroccan captain Achraf Hakimi he was named in the starting list hours after it was confirmed that he should be prosecuted in France on rape charges.

Huge boos were heard from the Scottish fans when Hakimi’s name was read and every time he touched the ball during the match.

The Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) defender said in a statement earlier that he had been accused of rape and had been given the opportunity to express his feelings.

Hakimi appealed to the district court.

French media reported earlier that the appeals court in Versailles had rejected the appeal, paving the way for his case to go to trial at a later date.

“Today, a story that is not mine is being discussed to the detriment of my family, my life, and above all, the truth.” “Sometimes I feel like I’ve become an easy target,” Hakimi wrote in a letter to X TV.

“I have been waiting for this trial since the first day, and now I am eagerly awaiting it.”