Moroccans Finish Scots but Find Out They’re Done Too

Moroccans were strewn across the pitch at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Etienne, some lying on their backs, some flat on their faces, other with their heads buried in their hands, sobbing and weeping, thoroughly distraught.

They had just played the match of their lives, thrashing Scotland, 3-0, Tuesday in a game they had to win to maintain hope of advancing to the World Cup’s second round.

They had cheered at the sound of the final whistle, but that was before they were given the distressing news from Marseille:

Norway had scored twice in the final seven minutes to upset Brazil, 2-1, to clinch the second and final second-round berth in Group A, rendering Morocco’s all-out effort of the previous 90 minutes moot.

Morocco was going home, despite drawing with Norway, 2-2, in its opener and routing Scotland in its finale to finish group play at 1-1-1 with four points.

Improbably, that wound up one point too few when Norway’s last-gasp comeback stunned defending World Cup holder Brazil, leaving the Norwegians 1-0-2 in Group A--good enough for a second-round encounter with Italy on Saturday in Marseille.

“It’s the worst scenario we could think of,” Morocco Coach Henri Michel said. “We had a great match, scored great goals, but it’s all over.

“I’m very sad for the players. They would have deserved to go through.”

Morocco was bidding to advance to the second round for only the second time, which would have matched its best World Cup performance of 1986.

Scotland, too, began the match with second-round hopes. A victory, coupled with a Norway draw or defeat, would have sent the Scots to the round of 16 for the first time after seven fruitless trips to the World Cup in 1954, 1958, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986 and 1990.

Those hopes were dashed quickly, perhaps mercifully for the much-beleaguered Tartan Army and Scotland’s long-suffering fans back home. Salaheddine Bassir gave Morocco the lead after 22 minutes, beating the Scots at their own game--via the long ball.

Youssef Chippo flogged the ball deep toward the Scotland penalty area--so deep that it caught Scottish defender Colin Hendry by surprise, sailing over his head and bounding to Bassir.

Taking the ball on the first bounce at the edge of the six-yard box, Bassir drove it hard with his left foot past a stunned Jim Leighton, the Scottish goalkeeper, just inside the near post.

Two minutes into the second half, Morocco made it 2-0 when it attacked down the left flank again, this time to Abdeljilil Hadda, whose deft chip attempt was palmed up in the air by Leighton and back over the keeper’s head, eventually falling into the net.

After Scotland midfielder Craig Burley was ejected for a desperate tackle from behind on Bassir, Bassir took advantage of Scotland’s short-handed predicament with his second goal of the match, a virtual thumbing of the nose in 85th minute.

Bassir took a Hadda pass in the Scotland penalty area and with his back to defender David Weir, flicked the ball over Weir’s head to free himself for a clear shot on goal, beating Leighton from 12 yards.

That was the match in a five-second nutshell: Morocco, the supposed lightweight of the group, the Iran of Group A, turning Scotland in circles--toying with the Scots.

The defeat dropped Scotland’s all-time World Cup record to 4-13-6--the four victories coming against Zaire, New Zealand, Sweden and the Netherlands.

Scotland Coach Craig Brown said he was disappointed particularly for the team’s loyal foreign legion of traveling supporters, the Tartan Army.

“You can’t give away goals at this level,” Brown lamented. “We were reduced to 10 men, and we weren’t good enough at that stage.”

But no less disappointed than the Moroccans, by far the saddest winners of a match in this tournament.