Morocco took home a big win in the FIFA World Cup knockout stages with a commanding 1-0 victory over Scotland on Saturday (Friday in US), a scoreline that scarcely reflected their dominance throughout the contest. Ismael Saibari struck after just 71 seconds when he latched onto a precise through ball from Brahim Diaz and fired past the goalkeeper after Scotland's defence was caught out.
The North Africans, who reached the semi-finals in 2022, controlled possession, completed a record 601 passes for an African team in a World Cup match since 1966, and repeatedly carved open the Scottish defence, although they were unable to add to their lead. Saibari, who also scored against Brazil in Morocco's opening 1-1 draw, became only the second African player after Mohamed Salah to score in his first two World Cup appearances.
Morocco created several more opportunities through Azzedine Ounahi, Bilal El Khannouss and Saibari, who struck the post in the second half, while Scotland struggled to threaten and failed to register a meaningful effort on goal until deep into first-half stoppage time. Despite a late push from the Scots, Morocco's defence remained firm to secure the win.
Three points secured for Morocco ✅#FIFAWorldCup
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 19, 2026
Later in the day Brazil showed a dominant display to defeat Haiti 3-0 with Matheus Cunha repaying Carlo Ancelotti's faith by scoring his first two FIFA World Cup goals and helping eliminate the Caribbean side from the tournament. Vinicius Junior was instrumental in the victory, setting up both of Cunha's strikes before adding a goal of his own in first-half stoppage time, although Brazil suffered a setback when Raphinha was forced off with an apparent leg injury in the 40th minute. The win marked a significant improvement from Brazil's opening 1-1 draw against Morocco.
Three goals and three points for Brazil! ????#FIFAWorldCup
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 20, 2026
Haiti, appearing at the World Cup for the first time since 1974, became the tournament's first eliminated team after Morocco's earlier 1-0 victory over Scotland. Despite the result, the Haitians showed plenty of spirit and nearly pulled one back after the break when Ricardo Ade's near-post header forced a sharp save from Alisson.
Cunha, one of two changes made by Ancelotti, gave Brazil the lead in the 23rd minute after pressuring the defence following Vinicius' shot, before doubling the advantage in the 36th minute by finishing off another excellent pass from the Real Madrid winger. Vinicius then capped a fine individual performance by racing onto Lucas Paqueta's through ball and slotting home Brazil's third just before halftime as the five-time world champions cruised to a comfortable victory.
With all four teams of Group C completing their second round of fixtures here is how the group looks like
| Rank | Team | Matches Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brazil | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 4 |
| 2 | Morocco | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 4 |
| 3 | Scotland | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 4 | Haiti | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | -4 | 0 |
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