Boston: Ismael Saibari scored the fastest goal of the FIFA World Cup so far, finding the back of the net just 71 seconds into the match as Morocco secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Scotland on Friday to strengthen their chances of advancing to the knockout stage.
The early strike proved decisive in a physical and closely contested encounter played before a crowd of 64,146 spectators at Gillette Stadium near Boston.
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Saibari, who also scored in Morocco’s 1-1 draw against Brazil in their opening match last weekend, continued his impressive form with a clinical finish that stunned the Scottish defence and goalkeeper Angus Gunn within moments of kickoff.
The 25-year-old midfielder, born in Spain and raised in Belgium, is reportedly close to completing a €55 million ($63 million) move from Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven to German giants Bayern Munich. His composed finish against Scotland further highlighted the quality that has attracted interest from Europe’s top clubs.
Scotland battled throughout the match but struggled to create clear-cut chances and lacked the cutting edge in front of goal needed to break down a disciplined Moroccan defence.
The result underlined the gulf between the two sides, with Morocco currently ranked fifth in the FIFA world rankings compared to Scotland’s 40th position.
With the victory, Morocco moved a step closer to securing a place in the knockout rounds, while Scotland now face an uphill battle to keep their tournament hopes alive.
(This story is published from a syndicated feed)
