Saibari strike sends Morocco past Scotland and towards World Cup knockout stage
Key takeaways
- Morocco took a major step towards the World Cup knockout stage with a 1-0 victory over Scotland on Friday, thanks to an early strike from Ismael Saibari.
- By: FRANCE 24 Morocco's Ismael Saibari, left, is congratulated after scoring his side's opening goal during the World Cup Group C soccer match between Scotland and Morocco in Foxborough, Mass., on June 19, 2026.
- The 25-year-old, who was born in Spain and raised in Belgium, is reportedly on the brink of a 55 million-euro ($63 million) transfer from Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven to Bayern Munich.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Morocco took a major step towards the World Cup knockout stage with a 1-0 victory over Scotland on Friday, thanks to an early strike from Ismael Saibari. The North Africans moved to four points in Group C, while Scotland remain in contention ahead of a decisive final match against Brazil.
By: FRANCE 24 Morocco's Ismael Saibari, left, is congratulated after scoring his side's opening goal during the World Cup Group C soccer match between Scotland and Morocco in Foxborough, Mass., on June 19, 2026. © Martin Meissner, AP Ismael Saibari scored the fastest goal of the World Cup so far after just 71 seconds as Morocco beat Scotland 1-0 on Friday to close in on a place in the knockout rounds.
Saibari scored in Morocco's opening 1-1 draw with Brazil last weekend and his clinical finish with just over a minute gone settled a hard-fought, physical contest watched by a crowd of 64,146 at Gillette Stadium near Boston.