Massachusetts. It took Ismael Saibari 21 minutes to score in his World Cup debut for Morocco.

In his second appearance, he needed barely a minute.

Saibari drilled a shot into the top corner of the net just 72 seconds into Morocco's 1-0 victory over Scotland on Friday at Gillette Stadium, keeping alive the team's hopes of advancing to a second consecutive World Cup knockout round.

"We wanted three points and we got them," Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi said.

Morocco's quick ball movement caught Scotland off guard from the opening whistle.

Saibari slipped behind two Scottish defenders as Brahim Diaz lofted a pass over the top. The 25-year-old forward controlled the ball and blasted it into the upper-left corner, well beyond the reach of goalkeeper Angus Gunn.

Morocco, which reached the semifinals at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, opened Group C with a 1-1 draw against Brazil, with Saibari scoring its only goal. Scotland, which has never advanced beyond the group stage in eight previous World Cup appearances, defeated Haiti 1-0 in its opener.

Scotland was outshot 12-6 on Friday and struggled to create clear opportunities against Morocco's organized defense.

The loss did little to dent Scotland coach Steve Clarke's confidence in his team.

"We gave them a game," Clarke said. "We're sure we can compete at this level."

Morocco nearly doubled its lead in the 52nd minute when Bilal El Khannouss' header from Achraf Hakimi's corner kick was stopped by Gunn.

Scotland had its best chance in first-half stoppage time when Andy Robertson delivered a cross toward John McGinn, who was unable to make contact near the back post.

As Scotland pushed for an equalizer in the closing minutes, Morocco had two good opportunities to extend its lead, but both efforts missed the target.

"I thought the performance didn't match the result, if I'm honest," Scotland midfielder Lewis Ferguson said. "We took the game to them. So there are positives from both games that certainly we can take into this last game."

Scotland will face Brazil in its final Group C match on Wednesday in Miami Gardens, Florida. Morocco will play Haiti at the same time in Atlanta.

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