Ferguson 'baffled' by criticism of Scotland's Haiti win as Morocco defeat leaves World Cup progress in doubt

Scotland midfielder Lewis Ferguson has pushed back against what he called “negative” reaction to the Tartan Army’s opening World Cup victory over Haiti, insisting the criticism ignored just how difficult it is to win at this level — even as defeat to Morocco left Scotland’s knockout hopes hanging by a thread.

Ismael Saibari’s strike after just 70 seconds in Boston set the tone for a match Scotland could not recover from, despite a markedly improved second-half display. Steve Clarke’s side needed at least a point against Morocco to secure progression to the last 32; instead, they now face a final group game against Brazil requiring a draw, or potentially a narrow one-goal defeat, to advance for the first time in their history.

Ferguson, one of Scotland’s more consistent performers in the base of midfield, said the reaction to the Haiti win — Scotland’s first World Cup victory in 36 years — had genuinely surprised him. “I’ve seen a lot of negative stuff about us winning against Haiti in the first game and it baffled me to be honest because it’s so, so difficult,” he said. “Every team is of a top level and it shows you how hard it is to win games of football at this level.”

The 25-year-old acknowledged the Morocco defeat felt like an opportunity missed, particularly given how the match began. “I think we had the worst possible start,” he said. “We never wanted to start like that — we didn’t touch the ball, to be honest. We gave away such a slack goal, it’s really unlike us.”

Despite the early setback, Ferguson pointed to a gradual improvement that he felt warranted more than nothing. “I thought the second half performance there was outstanding, although we’ve come away with nothing,” he said. “I think the performance probably deserved a point.”

He also suggested the half-time whistle arrived at an inopportune moment for Scotland, just as they were beginning to find their rhythm. “I felt we were probably beginning to grow towards the end. Half-time probably came at a bad time for us, but we were growing in the game, we were starting to feel really comfortable.”

Scotland’s fate now rests on their final group fixture against Brazil, a result that would need to go their way — and potentially be accompanied by a favourable outcome elsewhere — for Clarke’s side to make history and reach the knockout stages of a World Cup for the first time.