Flawed but relentless Scotland show themselves as men of substance

Here is the latest breaking news from around the world: Flawed but relentless Scotland show themselves as men of substance Figure caption, Scotland fall to narrow defeat against MoroccoByTom English Scotland's chief sports writer at Boston StadiumPublished18 minutes agoIn 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? 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.

The Details

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.

You've seen them given, as the mantra goes. A sense of injustice, justified or not, would only have darkened their mood. Scotland's World Cup knockout hopes remain alive despite defeat Should Scotland have had two penalties & been playing against 10 men?

Published1 hour agoWho was Scotland's stand out? How the players rated Published1 hour agoThe contrasting emotions were fascinating. Morocco were relieved men.

What Experts Say

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.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.