No party for Scotland: Heartbreak at home and abroad for the Tartan Army as their team suffer first World Cup defeat to Morocco

Scotland fans were left heartbroken after their triumphant World Cup start against Morocco in Boston was stopped on Friday.

The Tartan Army needed just one point to boost their chances of advancing to the knockout rounds, but cold water was poured on their hopes of overcoming the strong Moroccan team when Ismael Saibari scored within the opening two minutes.

After falling behind at half-time, Scotland’s confidence grew in the second half and they may feel they are in a tough spot after missing a strong penalty kick in the 1-0 defeat.

Looking at both America and home, the fans are in sad numbers; Fans at the official viewing party at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow were sometimes unable to watch the match because Steve Clarke’s team could not find the back of the net.

At Boston Stadium in Foxborough, even the enthusiastic crowd couldn’t hide their concerns after Morocco’s goal.

However, the fans continued to create a strong atmosphere in the stadium throughout the 90 minutes; This included a touching applause in the 76th minute to commemorate traveling fan Donny Strathie, who died in Boston just after the game against Haiti.

Tartan Army at Boston Stadium left upset shortly after Morocco’s opener

At an official viewing party in Brooklyn, far from New England, fans appeared almost in disbelief at times and the result was unlikely to be accepted until after halftime.

Tartan Army’s disappointing scenes will come as a surprise to homeowners in Boston, who are largely under the spell of impressive travelers from the North.

There were jubilant scenes in New England and Scotland following their opening win over Haiti, while scores of fans drank Boston dry, much to the delight of pub owners in Massachusetts.

“From Thursday through Sunday, the Tartan Army drank four times the amount of Boston Lager than we encounter during a typical four-day holiday period like the Fourth of July,” said Devon Savage, owner of the company that operates Boston bar Samuel Adams Taproom.

‘We had to schedule an urgent delivery for Saturday morning. ‘We sold more than 3,000 liters of beer over the weekend, with our teams collecting 70 empty kegs on Monday.’

Scotland fans, who held a special Bank Holiday to celebrate the victory, partied at home into the early hours and supporters took to the streets chanting ‘No Scotland, No Party’.

While Scottish legends, including Sir Rod Stewart, had the opportunity to celebrate with their countrymen in the stands, Scottish First Minister John Swinney described the match as ‘seismic’.

‘This is a shocking moment for Scotland that could pave the way for the team to reach the knockout stages of the World Cup for the first time,’ Swinney said.

‘I’m absolutely thrilled and I know people all over Scotland will be delighted and united in joy at this landmark win.’

Tartan-clad and Saltiers-bearing fans also descended on Fenway Park this weekend, filling the stands and lanes with renditions of the Flower of Scotland and ‘Super John McGinn’.

A fan couldn’t believe what he saw at a watch party in Brooklyn, New York

Fans at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow could not hide their disappointment with the result

Fans in the stands at full-time at Foxborough battled disappointing result

Steve Clarke’s players looked similarly affected after failing to score on the field.

Scotland have everything they need to do against Brazil to escape a tough Group C.

Home fans at the game between the Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers, with 5,000 fans marching from Evans Way Park to the field, said the atmosphere was the best they had experienced in years.

On the morning of the Morocco match, another march was held in Providence, Rhode Island, just 25 miles from Foxborough stadium.

There were even some suggestions that traveling fans could spark a baby boom in Boston, with hundreds of local women flocking to TikTok with videos claiming the Tartan Army was ensuring their ‘faith in men was restored’.

Scotland will have one last chance to grab a vital point from a tough Group C against Brazil, who failed to take more than a point in their first game against Morocco.

Brazil are heavy favorites to beat Haiti in the match following Scotland’s defeat and will look to build themselves into stronger form, but without the help of superstar Neymar Jnr, who is unavailable following a calf injury.

But regardless of their last match, Scotland can qualify as one of the strongest teams in the third tier having won their first match.

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