Fans in Scotland have been left disappointed after the men's national team lost 1-0 to Morocco in their second World Cup group game. Supporters packed into venues across the country to watch as Steve Clarke's side attempted to follow up last week's win over Haiti, only to fall agonisingly short against the African champions.
Thousands of the Tartan Army faithful gathered at fan zones at the Ovo Hydro arena in Glasgow and Gyle Centre in Edinburgh, just two of many large venues and pubs which stayed open late to host watch parties for the game. Following a febrile build-up amid chants of "no Scotland, no party", the fans at the Hydro were stunned into silence when Morocco took the lead in the first couple of minutes.
Spirits rose as Scotland grew into the game towards the end of the second half, and there were cheers followed by groans as they came close to an equaliser a number of times. There was a muted reaction as the final whistle blew and the thousands of supporters quickly filed out of the hall.
Speaking after the game, Niall Murphy, from Coatbridge, was philosophical about the result. "It was very tight," the 32-year-old said. "If you'd told me two weeks ago that we'd lost 1-0 to Morocco I'd have 100% taken it. We definitely should have had a penalty right at the start of the second half, but it is what it is." He also said he was optimistic about securing at least a draw against Brazil on Wednesday, which would keep their World Cup dream alive.
Abbie Maughan, 21, had come to the Hydro for the game with a group of friends and said after the match she had been hoping for a draw. "It was kind of expected, but it was a good vibe," she said of the defeat. "It was a pretty brutal back-and-forth, there were some scary moments, and not as good as the game against Haiti. It was still a good watch." She said she "cannot imagine" her team beating Brazil on Wednesday, but said "that's not what Scotland being in the World Cup is about".
Fans had earlier spoken of their optimism ahead of the game. Julie Boath, 47, from Glasgow said: "I really thought we were going to do it. We did really well, we tried really hard. We deserved to do better than what we did." She said she thought Scotland will have "even more of a chance" in their next game against Brazil.
Scotland's bright finish to the first half had left many fans hopeful of a comeback in the second period. Peter Donnelly, 46, said the team's first-half performance had been "not great", but that it had got "a wee bit more positive at the end of the half." He said he hoped that with a half-time team talk, Scotland would be "about there."
Chris Cairns, 35, who travelled from Auchterarder, Perth and Kinross, was one of many in the Tartan Army who had arrived at the venue hopeful of a positive result. "I think with everything that's been going on in America, the good feeling around the Tartan Army, I just think it's going to happen," he said. "Call me a hopeless optimist, but I think it's going to work, it feels good."
