Scotland vs Morocco: Clarke plays down Tierney worry and points to penalty calls

Steve Clarke wanted the focus after Scotland's 0-1 loss to Morocco at the World Cup to stay on the response, not just the scoreline. Ismael Saibari scored after 2 minutes, but Clarke said Scotland recovered well from the early blow. He also moved quickly to ease concern over Kieran Tierney, who went off in the 60th minute and was replaced by Ben Gannon-Doak.

Clarke says Tierney's exit was cramp

"Kieran was terrific, he just cramped up a little bit," Steve Clarke told Standard. That matters because the substitution looked awkward in real time, and Scotland did not need another injury problem hanging over them. Clarke's wording was plain enough, and it should cool any immediate panic around Tierney.

He also backed up the general theme of Scotland hanging in after the early setback. "Thought we were good. Terrible start but the reaction to that was good. We had to dig in for five or 10 minutes just to get our feet in the game," Clarke told BBC Sport. That is the part of the night he wanted carried forward, even with the defeat still sitting in the record.

Scotland's penalty complaints were a real part of the night

The other flashpoint was the box. Clarke described the John McGinn incident as a "50-50 penalty call," and he was just as direct on Che Adams's moment after the Diop challenge. "Che Adams, fifty-fifty as well, he had a chance to go through one-on-one with the goalkeeper and he goes down," he said on Standard.

He also told BBC Sport that Adams "might be clear through on goal" after the challenge. That is the line that gives Scotland's complaint its weight. Scott McTominay and McGinn both finished on 6.6, so this was not a night built on a dominant Scotland performance. It was a tight game, and Clarke made the case that the margins leaned against his side.

The result still stands, and Morocco's early goal did the damage. But Clarke's post-match message was consistent: Tierney's issue was cramp, Scotland did not fold after the start, and the penalty calls were close enough to leave real frustration. The next Scotland update will be about Tierney's recovery and whether the complaints fade or linger after Scotland vs Morocco.