Everybody will remember Scotland’s enrichment of this World Cup’s pageantry, from drinking Boston dry to teaching Massachusetts policemen how to play the bagpipes. And yet there is now a troubling possibility that no one will recall much about their actual football, after Steve Clarke’s team toiled stoically against Morocco while neglecting to register a single shot on target. While the precise mathematics of reaching the round of 32 can be complex, they realistically need to secure a point against five-time champions Brazil to ensure advancement, a prospect that on this evidence looks about as remote as their fans taking a vow of sobriety.
The Tartan Army have been a phenomenon this summer, electrifying a Boston Red Sox game with their chants of “No Scotland, No Party” and jumping up and down on a pleasure boat so passionately that you feared it might founder. Unfortunately, it is Scotland’s campaign on the pitch that feels in danger of sinking without trace. For all that they drifted away from this defeat muttering about Uzbek referee Ilgiz Tantashev’s denial of two penalty appeals, they contributed directly here to their own demise, so bizarrely negative in a one-sided first half that it took them almost an hour to awake from their slumber.
It was telling that Roy Keane, of all people, lambasted them for “daydreaming” and acting in a “jovial” manner. After all, it was his perception of Ireland’s lackadaisical attitude to the 2002 World Cup, accusing manager Mick McCarthy of being content to have a crack and settle for failure, that explained his tempestuous exit from the camp. Nobody recorded what Keane said verbatim during his fateful meltdown in the Mariana Islands, but the recent film Saipan summarised his tirade thus: “Do you know why everyone loves the Irish? Because we’re no threat.” With this toothless performance, squarely at odds with the fervour their presence has brought to the Boston streets, you wonder if his analysis holds a kernel of truth for Scotland.
By now, their supporters’ philosophy of total immersion at major tournaments is well-established. They staged a similar takeover at the 2024 European Championship, colonising Cologne on such a scale that they encircled the cathedral. The spectacle ensured they were cherished in Germany, but their side still exited the event with a solitary point, having been thrashed 5-1 by the hosts. I recall how, after a last underwhelming loss to Hungary, many Scottish fans declared that Clarke’s race was run. Instead he was later rewarded with a contract extension until the end of the 2030 World Cup.
Such a deal threatens to be exposed as wildly premature. A vast convoy has crossed the Atlantic not simply to savour Scotland’s first World Cup appearance for 28 years but to watch their players rise to the occasion, to produce a moment that can stand comparison with David Narey’s wonder strike against Brazil or, of course, Archie Gemmill’s slaloming brilliance to defy the Dutch. So far, all they have in terms of football highlights in the United States is a deflected goal against Haiti. Yes, their memories of the revelries will last a lifetime, from their co-ordinated downing of Irn-Bru to their success in persuading Maura Healey, the governor of Massachusetts, to legalise haggis. But with a priceless chance this time to reach the round of 32 – the same number of teams represented at the entire tournament in 1998, the year they were last involved – can it truly be considered enough?
The noise generated by the mass rendition of Flower of Scotland before kick-off was astounding, rumbling around this cavernous horseshoe-shaped bowl like thunder. Curiously, there was little sign of it galvanising the boys in blue, who promptly conceded the quickest goal of the tournament, with Grant Hanley’s sleepy marking enabling Ismael Saibari to leather the ball past Angus Gunn after just 71 seconds. In their bewildered state, Scotland would have accepted losing 1-0 at this stage, as Morocco’s swarming attacks left their full-backs with twisted blood. Ryan Christie, likewise, was helpless against the pace of Azzedine Ounahi, as the gap in the world rankings – Morocco fifth, Scotland 40th – translated into a painful gulf in class.
At least the impact from the bench of Ben Gannon-Doak was immediate, begging the question of why the winger had not started. Clarke’s tactics appeared unduly negative, with Scotland settling into a five-at-the-back formation that was doomed to fail against Morocco’s speed and invention. The manager described how his side would use their “devastated” mood as rocket fuel for the duel with Brazil in Miami, but how credible is this on the basis of their displays so far? They conspicuously lack squad depth or even a proven centre-forward and are about to run headlong into opponents hitting their stride under Carlo Ancelotti.
Such is the bloated nature of this World Cup, Scotland have a better than 50-50 chance of losing by two goals and still progressing. But you long for so much more, for a sign that they can produce some menace to match the merriment. Popular? Yes. Threatening? No. It was a combination that made Keane fly home in disgust, and Scotland must snap out of their reverie soon to avert a case of history repeating.