Scotland's World Cup flame continues to flicker after a night of good, bad and ugly against Morocco, according to Chief Sportswriter Keith Jackson. The 1-0 defeat in Boston leaves Scotland's fate in their own hands, with a crucial match against Brazil looming.
A Night of Mixed Emotions
It certainly wasn't great. And yet it could have been worse. The bottom line from what went on in Boston last night is that Scotland's World Cup flame continues to flicker. A little dimmer than it burned last Saturday night. But still bright enough to beckon on the Brazilians towards a date with destiny in Miami on Wednesday night.
The question now, after a rather schizophrenic 90 minutes against Morocco, is which Scotland will turn up in the sunshine state when Steve Clarke and his players arrive in Florida for the final Group C match.
Last night they managed to be good, bad and ugly all at the same time only to be robbed by an Uzbekistani referee who twice failed to point to the penalty spot when it seemed obvious that both John McGinn and then Scott McTominay had been chopped down by the same player on either side of the interval.
But Scotland inflicted damage on themselves too by gifting the early goal from which ultimately they could not recover, regardless of the mystifying decision making from the man in the middle.
Clarke's Bold Team Selection
Some of us always suspected there would be a classic Clarke curveball coming here, in the back yard of the Red Sox. And, right on cue, it came fizzing out from the moment his starting XI was made public, an hour or so ahead of kick-off.
Clarke didn't just tinker with his team selection from last Saturday night. In truth, he took a bit of a baseball bat to it. In came Kieran Tierney and Nathan Patterson, although it was difficult to know with any certainty where the Celtic man was actually being deployed until the action started and Clarke's line-up took shape.
When it became clear that Tierney was operating wide left of a midfield five it looked very much like a belt and braces attempt at preventing Achraf Hakimi from wreaking his usual level of havoc down Moroccan right. Ryan Christie was also thrown a place in midfield in a move which effectively knocked Ben Gannon-Doak onto the bench. Lawrence Shankland and Aaron Hickey were also told to step aside after starting against Haiti but struggling to find their A games.
Few, if any at all, could have predicted such a fulsome flurry of tweaks and tickles - the Moroccans included. Not that they needed much time to work any of it out, ahead as they were after just 70 seconds when Clarke's newly designed system was taken apart by one long ball over the top.
Nightmare Start
It was seriously catastrophic stuff too. With Jack Hendry instantly sucked out of position, Grant Hanley shuffled across to keep an eye on dangerman Ismael Saibari. But then instantly forgot to do so. Instead, he threw an arm up in the air claiming for offside as the big man took one touch before cannoning a shot high into the roof of Angus Gunn's net despite a tightening angle.
Now this really was a nightmarish start in every aspect. And it jolted the confidence of Clarke's players to such an extent that they seemed to forget how to function all at once. They could have been 2-0 down before the 10 minute mark when Christie was mugged in midfield and Azzedine Ouanahi failed to connect with a tap in a couple of yards out from an empty net.
With foggy heads, Scotland looked rattled, confused and there for the taking. Amidst it all, Hanley was discombobulated once again, this time under pressure from the rampaging Hakimi, who muscled his way past the defender to poke another effort towards goal. It was only Gunn's sharp reflexes which allowed the keeper to prevent another concession with the toe of his right boot.
And still they kept coming, poking and prodding at Scotland's defences without encountering all that much by way of resistance. In 36 minutes, despite McTominay being deliberately dumped onto the seat of his pants in midfield moments earlier, Bilal El Khannouss blazed one over the top when he ought to have hit the target. It was not for the first time Uzbekistani ref Ilgiz Tantashev had let one of these go in Morocco's favour. In fact, it was becoming quite the theme.
A Stirring Response
Then, in the dying seconds of the half, something inside Scotland's players began to stir at last. Patterson's cross almost picked out Che Adams in front of goal but the striker couldn't connect on the volley. Andy Robertson fired one in from the other flank but it was too hot for McGinn at the back post. Then Tierney had a shot charged down inside the Moroccan box. It wasn't much. But it was something for Clarke to cling onto at the break.
And it continued after the re-start when McGinn should have won a penalty after being blatantly chopped down in the box by the overstretching El Aynaoui. But the by now infuriating Tantashev waved play on without being corrected by VAR. It was an astonishing act of incompetence which McGinn could scarcely believe.
At the other end, two more chances came and went. First with Jack Hendry superbly blocked Saibari's shot and deflected it onto the crossbar before Gunn pulled off another fine save to keep out a flashing header from Bilal El Khannouss.
When Tierney went down clutching a thigh on the hour, Clarke shook things up by sending on Gannon-Doak, switching McGinn to the left hand side and positioning McTominay further up field. Given the potential for goal difference to come into play, this attacking move did seem like a build and un-Clarke like call.
And it could have paid off instantly had the out of sorts Christie not snatched at a shot and fired over the top within moments of the reshuffle. Clarke then swapped out Adams and Christie for Lyndon Dykes and Kenny McLean. But the clear instruction to all in dark blue shirts was to release Gannon-Doak at every opportunity and let his little pistons get pumping. And it was working.
But once again it was Tantashev who leapt to Morocco's defence, waving away a second strong penalty claim for another El Aynaoui foul, this time sending McTominay crashing to the ground inside the 18 yard line. McTominay then had a shot blocked as he spun onto a loose ball inside the area but it did force keeper Yassine Bounou into his first save of the night, albeit a comfortable catch at that.
Now all roads then lead south, where those golden shirts of Brazil will be waiting in Miami. Scotland must find their best form to keep their World Cup dream alive.
