Morocco awaits and Scotland's knockout hopes are on the line

Morocco on Friday, and your knockout hopes hang on it

Scotland went to Boston and got the job done. 1–0 over Haiti. It was nervy, it was narrow, and it could have gone wrong, Grant Hanley was fortunate not to concede a penalty, and Kenny McLean might have seen red for a dangerous tackle (1). But three points are three points, and they ended decades without a World Cup win.

Now it gets real. Morocco on Friday, June 19, in a match that will likely decide who joins Brazil in the knockout rounds (1). Morocco drew 1–1 with Brazil in their opener, no small statement. Steve Clarke's side need more than what they showed against Haiti.

Dykes: not a goalscorer, but Scotland win when he finds the net

Lyndon Dykes does not score often. The numbers back that up. But here is the stat that matters: Scotland win when he does (2). The BBC crunched it, his goals correlate directly with results. Against Morocco, even a scrappy one from the big striker could be enough.

Cape Verde gave Clarke a blueprint

Neil McCann and Willie Miller have been studying the tape. Cape Verde's approach against Morocco is the template, they argue, disciplined, compact, hitting on the break (4). Scotland have the organisation to do the same. Whether they have the sharpness in the final third is the question.

Gannon-Doak has the raw tools. The final ball is the next step

Ben Gannon-Doak can be an "unbelievable talent." That is Neil McCann's assessment, not idle praise from a former Scotland winger who knows the position (3). The issue is the final delivery. Too often the cross or the pass lets him down. Fix that, McCann says, and Scotland have a genuine weapon for the Morocco match and beyond.

Motherwell's Just, from the Austrian second tier to the World Cup

A year and a half ago, Just was playing in Austria's second division. Now the Motherwell attacking midfielder is at a World Cup, and BBC Scotland has charted the rapid rise (5). It is the kind of story that makes tournaments feel bigger than the group table.

Fan-reaktioner

The Tartan Army have been the story off the pitch, thousands in Boston, "Loch Lomond" echoing through the streets, a Scottish Heritage Night march on Fenway Park. And now Baccara's 1977 disco hit "Yes Sir, I Can Boogie" has its own bizarre World Cup origin story, from stag party drag to the terraces. Read the full tale on r/soccer.