World Cup: Morocco achieves the first Arab victory while Turkey loses for the second time, and Brazil and the USA secure important wins

SadaNews - Morocco's national team secured a valuable victory against their Scottish counterparts (1-0) at Foxborough Stadium during the second round of Group C in the 2026 World Cup, placing the "Atlas Lions" at the top of the group with 4 points.

Ismaïl Saybari scored the only goal of the match early in the second minute with a powerful shot into the upper left corner of Angus Gunn's net, following an assist from Ibrahim Diaz on the right side of the penalty area.

With this victory, the Moroccan team collected 4 points, while Scotland remained at 3 points.

The Scottish team, which opened its campaign with a 1-0 win over Haiti, relied on a solid defensive formation with a five-man defense, with Scott McTominay and Lewis Ferguson occupying the pivot positions, while Ryan Christie and John McGinn played on the wings, with Che Adams leading the attack.

In contrast, Morocco's head coach fielded the same lineup that drew with Brazil 1-1 in the opening round, bolstered in the midfield by Ibrahim Diaz, Azzedine Ounahi, and Bilal El Khannous alongside Ismaïl Saybari.

Morocco controlled the proceedings in the first half, where Saybari nearly added a second goal from a brilliant cross from Ounahi in front of the net (10th minute), and Gunn saved a dangerous shot from Achraf Hakimi (18th minute). Naila Aynaoui also missed the goal after a cross from Diaz (30th minute).

Despite Morocco's clear dominance, the "Atlas Lions'" lack of precision in the final third denied them an early resolution of the result, as Bilal El Khannous squandered a golden chance with a shot that sailed over the bar (36th minute), while Scotland improved its level towards the end of the first half without any real threat.

In the second half, Morocco returned with stronger determination, as Saybari's shot hit the crossbar (50th minute), and Gunn cleared a dangerous header from El Khannous off the goal line (52nd minute), while Hakimi's shot slipped past the post (62nd minute).

Despite Scotland's intermittent attempts to return to the match, including a shot from Ryan Christie outside the area (64th minute) and a powerful effort from McTominay that deflected into the side netting (84th minute), Morocco successfully managed the second half wisely to maintain their lead until the final whistle.

Brazil vs Haiti..

In the same group, Brazil secured their advancement to the Round of 32, topping the group with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Haiti, in a match where Matheus Cunha shone with two goals and Vinicius Junior scored one, making Haiti the first team to be officially eliminated from the 2026 World Cup.

Head coach Carlo Ancelotti made changes to the lineup following the disappointing 1-1 draw against Morocco, introducing Danilo as a right-back and favoring Cunha over Igor Thiago in the attack, while the Haiti team reinforced its defense with Jean Kevin Duverne and chose Jose Casimir in the attack to rely on counterattacks.

The "Seleção" struggled to find their rhythm against a defensively organized team, with a goal by Raphinha ruled offside in the 12th minute after a brilliant pass from Bruno Guimarães, followed by Barcelona's player missing a clear opportunity with a precise shot that went wide of the goal in the 22nd minute.

However, the third opportunity proved decisive as Cunha opened the scoring after Haiti’s goalkeeper, Johnny Placid, saved a shot from Vinicius Junior, and Hans Delcroix diverted the ball to the striker who converted it into the net (1-0) in the 23rd minute.

Despite taking the lead, Brazil briefly retreated, but Haiti failed to capitalize on their period of control, allowing Cunha to double the score following a brilliant pass from Vinicius Junior (2-0) in the 36th minute, before the Brazilian star capped off the first half with a third goal from a well-placed ground shot following a through ball from Lucas Paquetá (3-0, 45+3).

In the second half, Brazil adopted a more cautious approach with their comfortable lead, giving Haiti a chance to apply pressure, as the "Grenadiers" nearly reduced the deficit from a corner taken by Ricardo Adi, but Alisson Becker superbly denied it (63rd minute), followed by Duverne's shot sailing past the left post moments later (65th minute).

Brazil responded with a powerful shot from Gabriel Martinelli that hit the crossbar (68th minute), and a goal from Endrick was ruled offside (78th minute), concluding the match with a well-deserved victory for Brazil.

With this result, Brazil raised their points tally to 4, topping Group C, while Haiti exited the tournament after their second consecutive loss, becoming the first team to be officially eliminated from the World Cup.

It is worth mentioning that Morocco occupies the second position with 4 points as well after their tough 1-0 victory over Scotland in the other match of the group, while Brazil prepares to face Scotland in the closing round to determine the top spot.

USA vs Australia..

In a World Cup night filled with drama, the American national team benefited significantly during their confrontation with the Australian counterpart, securing a 2-0 victory in the second round of the group stage of the 2026 World Cup.

This victory officially secured the American team’s advancement to the knockout stages after decisively defeating Paraguay 4-1 in the first round, leading the group with 6 points.

Meanwhile, Australia had previously triumphed over Turkey with a 2-0 score in their opening match before succumbing to the USA, placing them in second position in the group with only 3 points.

The American team capitalized on another own goal, taking the lead against Australia with a score of 1-0, in the second round of group stage matches during the 2026 World Cup.

The goal came in the 11th minute when an American player sent a cross from the right side that the Australian defender Cameron Burgess failed to handle, accidentally redirecting it into his own net, granting the hosts the lead (1-0).

According to the French network "Stats Foot," the American team raised their tally to 5 goals scored by opponents into their net in error throughout their World Cup history, ranking second among teams benefiting the most from defensive mistakes by their rivals in World Cup history.

In dramatic moments that heightened tension both on the pitch and in the stands, the American team succeeded in scoring their second goal against Australia, which began with the referee assistant disallowing a goal scored by Alex Freeman immediately for offside, provoking protests from the players and coaching staff of the United States.. However, the German referee Felix Zwayer did not hesitate to resort to Video Assistant Referee (VAR) to review the play accurately.

After a few minutes of breath-holding wait, the footage clearly proved that the ball reached American player Alex Freeman after deflecting off an Australian defender, nullifying the offside situation according to the laws of the game... Thus, the referee officially awarded the goal amidst massive joy from the American fans and players who experienced moments of intense anticipation.

With this goal, the American team enhanced their position in the match, keeping their hopes alive for advancement from the group stage before the eyes of the world, in a World Cup hosted in collaboration with Canada and Mexico.

The second half witnessed a control exchange in the midfield without any significant attacks on the match's score, as the score remained in favor of the American team, bringing them closer to qualification.

Additionally, the final minutes of the match saw the referee brandishing several yellow cards, with Folarin Balogun receiving one from the United States, while Harry Souttar and Jacob Italiano were booked for Australia.

Turkey vs Paraguay

In the same group, the Turkish national team suffered a defeat by a single goal against the Paraguayan team.

The only goal was scored in the second minute of the match, while the Turkish team failed to capitalize on the opportunities they had, especially after one of the opposing players was sent off in the third minute of stoppage time in the first half.

The Turkish team attempted to exploit the numerical disadvantage of the Paraguayan team, but they were unsuccessful.

Thus Paraguay raised their points tally to 3, tying with the Australian team, while the Turkish team failed to secure any points.