Scotland Falls to Morocco 0-1: A Tough Wake-Up Call Ahead of Challenging Match Against Brazil in World Cup Quest

THE stats say a team finishing third in their group with three points and a -3 goal difference has a 55 per cent chance of going through.

If Scotland keep telling themselves that over and over for the next few days, it might all turn out just dandy.

Ismael Saibari celebrates giving Morocco a very early lead against Scotland Credit: Alamy Ismael Saibari fired Morocco into a very early lead Credit: AP Ismael Saibari found the top corner with a rocket just 71 seconds in Credit: Alamy

It’s something to cling onto, at least.

Well, that and the fact that those marauding Moroccans didn’t bury our hopes altogether.

One up in 70 seconds, they could and probably should have had four by half-time.

They were in cruise control, we were struggling to get out of neutral.

So the fact that Scotland didn’t crumble, ground their way back into a game that could have run away like Usain Bolt from a three-toed sloth… well, that might just keep Scotland in this World Cup.

Fact is, we still only need a point to make sure of creating history, for Steve Clarke and his boys to achieve immortality.

Say that fast and it sounds simple, given that wee John McGinn only needs to be a foot taller to play for the Boston Celtics and there were teams here when that looked more likely.

Scott McTominay and his Scotland teammates were left frustrated Credit: AFP Steve Clarke’s side face Brazil in Miami in their final game Credit: SNS

But it’s where we are. And after the way we started here, after the nightmare of losing a terrible goal from their first attack of the game and the chaos we plummeted into from there, we DESERVE to be there.

Clarke’s team fought like dogs to haul themselves back from the brink of the same kind of capitulation the last Scotland team to play om this stage had committee last time we played Morocco.

Back then, one simple ball in behind the defence was all it had taken to open us up like a can of beans and set the North Africans on their way to a 3-0 win.

Now, horrible history repeated almost before the last notes of the anthems had faded.

Brahim Diaz pinged one over the top for the brilliant young Ismael Saibari – and somehow, he had time to look along the alone and check if he was offside before smashing one into the far top corner.

Scotland fans showed out in force once again in Boston Credit: Shutterstock Editorial Boston Stadium was staging Scotland’s second straight game in Group C Credit: Getty

That goal spooked the hell out of us. For the next 40 minutes we couldn’t keep the ball, we were always scurrying, always on the stretch. We weren’t trackung runners, we were being bullied all over the park.

Morocco were quick and slick, no question. But our levels of sheer panic were making it so easy for them to be over us like a cheap suit; hunting in packs, strangling our every attempt to put passes together and get ourselves a foothold.

It was into five added minutes before we finally came alive, started running at them, getting men over, smashing balls across the box that only needed the right touch to knock them home.

At last, the Tartan Army had something to roar about – and when, four minutes after the break, McGinn smashed his man off the ball in them middle of the park, barrelled into the box and went over Younes El Aynaoui’s outstretched leg, they had something to SCREAM about.

Was it a penalty? Mibbes aye, mibbes naw. But let’s be honest here – the defender could have taken the wee man’s leg off with a machete and Uzbek referee Ilgiz Tantashev wouldn’t have given us it.

If anyone doubted this, their minds were surely changed inside the last ten when the same El Aynaoui looked for all the world to clip Scott McTomonay in the box, but again we got no joy.

We were on it now. We believed in ourselves at long last. The noise around this magnificent arena built to a swelling, soaring crescendo.

That golden, priceless goal just wouldn’t come, though. We’d come back from the brink of a battering to hold our heads high, but we’d just fallen short.

So now, we go down to the wire.

As we have so often before. As we probably all felt deep down we would again.

One magic moment here and Wednesday night against Brazil in Miami would have seen us having the time of our lives.

Instead, we go there fighting FOR our lives.

Don’t know about you, but I’m not sure whether to be excited or petrified.