Ex-refs chief bashes Scotland vs Morocco referee as he shares Scott McTominay penalty verdict
Referee Ilgiz Tantashev was all over the place as Scott McTominay saw a penalty appeal turned down in Scotland's clash with Morocco.
That is according to former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee, Keith Hackett, who exclusively told Football Insider that the official made several errors as Steve Clarke's side fell to a 1-0 defeat on Friday, 19 June.
After just two minutes, Morocco's Ismael Saibari had already found the back of the net, instantly quietening the bouncing Scotland fans.
That didn't stop the Tartan Army from pushing for an equaliser, though, and many felt that they were denied a blatant penalty in the 82nd minute.
Charging into the penalty area, the former Manchester United midfielder found himself crowded out by three opposition players before hitting the ground.
McTominay was astonished that the referee had waved away his calls, and replays showed a clear clip from Roma star Neil El Aynaoui, but no VAR intervention was forthcoming.
Scott McTominay rightly frustrated over penalty shout
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Hackett understood Scotland fans' frustrations, criticising the referee's entire display, as well as suggesting that a spot-kick would have been the right decision.
"McTominay, in possession of the ball inside his opponent's penalty area, was brought down to the ground by a careless challenge," he said.
"This should have resulted in the award of a penalty kick. The Morocco player, using his right leg and moving towards his opponent, commits a foul challenge.
"However, during the course of this game, we witnessed a number of similar foul challenges going unpunished.
"The referee, judging that no foul had taken place, got this one wrong, in my opinion," quotes that will likely leave a sour taste in the mouths of Scotland fans.
What are Scotland's chances of getting out of Group C now?
Group C is certainly shaping up very interestingly, with the Scots still on three points, while Brazil and Morocco both move ahead of four each.
Clarke's side have every chance of going through as a best third-place team, with Haiti unlikely to get anything out of their final game against Morocco.
Despite their 1-0 defeat at the Boston Stadium, Opta have still given Scotland a 74.43 per cent chance of reaching the round of 32, given that they are currently the highest-ranked third-place team.
It could all change in their final game of the group stages, though, and fans will be expecting a huge battle against Brazil for a top-two spot on Wednesday, 24 June.