Morocco defeats Scotland 1-0 in World Cup, scoring the fastest goal of the tournament at 71 seconds

2026 World Cup Key News

(CNA Foxborough, MA June 19, Comprehensive Foreign News) Moroccan player Ismael Saibari scored the fastest goal of the 2026 World Cup so far just 71 seconds into the match today, helping Morocco to a 1-0 victory over Scotland and bringing them closer to advancing to the knockout stage.

According to Agence France-Presse, Morocco drew 1-1 with Brazil in their opening match last weekend, also thanks to a goal from Saibari. Today, he precisely shot into the net just over a minute into the game.

Saibari, 25, was born in Spain and grew up in Belgium. He is reportedly being considered for a transfer from Eredivisie champions PSV Eindhoven to Bundesliga club Bayern Munich for 55 million euros.

His shot that beat Scottish goalkeeper Angus Gunn demonstrated his shooting quality, making it no wonder he is highly regarded; in contrast, Scotland lacked comparable performance in the opponent's penalty area, which also explains why Morocco is ranked 5th in the world while Scotland is 40th.

Morocco has secured 4 points from two matches and is in a favorable position to advance to the round of 32, aiming to at least match their historic best performance of reaching the semifinals in the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Morocco's next match will be against Haiti. (Compiled by Lu Ying-tzu) 1150620

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