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Flawed but relentless Scotland show themselves as men of substance
TL;DR
Scotland faced a narrow defeat against Morocco in a thrilling match. Head coach Steve Clarke surprised critics by adopting a more aggressive strategy late in the game.
Key points
- Scotland lost narrowly to Morocco
- Steve Clarke faced criticism for cautious management
- Clarke adopted an aggressive strategy late in the game
- The match featured dramatic shifts in momentum
Figure caption,
Scotland fall to narrow defeat against Morocco
In his time as Scotland head coach, Steve Clarke has been pelted with flak for his risk-averse management, his innate caution, his reluctance to roll the dice.
Whatever happened to that guy? Where did he go?
In the closing stages of this thriller in Boston, Clarke was a footballing Amarillo Slim, a fearless gambler throwing on attacking players in pursuit of a point in a game that lurched from total Moroccan dominance to total Moroccan panic.
Scotland lost, but in the grand scheme of things - where goal difference will be vital in determining the best third-placed teams - a 1-0 loss was no great letdown, not that it would have felt that way to the Scotland players at the end.
In doing a television interview in the aftermath, Lewis Ferguson looked pained and upset. Others were just like him. Andy Robertson rubbed his hands over his face in frustration. Lyndon Dykes looked, for a second, as if he was going to throw up.
Scotland had two penalty claims, one for Scott McTominay and another for John McGinn. Borderline, both. You've seen them given, as the mantra goes. A sense of injustice, justified or not, would only have darkened their mood.
The contrasting emotions were fascinating. Morocco were relieved men.
For a long spell in the first half they looked like they were going to cut Scotland to smithereens with their movement and their class. At full-time they looked overjoyed at falling over the line.
The Scots didn't manage a shot on target but, boy, did they show some bottle.
Those closing minutes were frenetic. Clarke, as if playing poker in Vegas, sent on Ben Gannon-Doak, Dykes and Ross Stewart. By the end, Scott McTominay was virtually playing centre-forward.
They left themselves hugely exposed at the back but the attitude was to hell with it. McTominay hit the side-netting, Dykes headed over, McTominay had a shot smothered. They pushed and pushed.
At one point, seconds from the end, Chadi Riad, the Morocco centre-back, hoofed one out for a corner and screamed blue murder at his midfielders.
Scots show they've learned lessons from Euros
This denouement was not what we were expecting. This gathering dream of a Scotland equaliser was so far our thoughts early on as to be non-existent.
Just short of the hour-mark, two doughty Scots walked up the steep steps at the Boston Stadium in search of their seats in the gods. Can in hand, traffic cone hat on their head - the lads were full of the joys, laughing heartily, feeling no pain.
To say they were the outliers in the Scotland support in those moments would be putting it mildly. Did they not know that Morocco had cut their team open to score after 71 seconds?
Q&A
What was the final outcome of the Scotland vs Morocco match?
Scotland lost the match against Morocco by a narrow margin.
How did Steve Clarke change his coaching approach during the game?
Steve Clarke adopted a more aggressive strategy by substituting attacking players in the closing stages of the match.
What criticisms has Steve Clarke faced as Scotland's head coach?
Steve Clarke has been criticized for his risk-averse management style and reluctance to take bold actions during games.
Where did the Scotland vs Morocco match take place?
The match took place in Boston.
