“I thought it was a penalty…”
Scott McTominay was left in an awkward position after Scotland’s controversial 1-0 World Cup defeat to Morocco.
The Scotland midfielder was at the centre of the biggest talking point of the match — and was then forced to watch the incident back moments later.
The Moment
In the 82nd minute, McTominay burst into the Morocco penalty area and went down under a challenge from Neil El Aynaoui.
Scotland’s players immediately appealed for a penalty, but referee Ilgiz Tantashev waved play on. VAR also chose not to intervene.
The decision left Scotland furious as they pushed for a late equaliser.
The Interview
After the final whistle, McTominay was asked about the incident.
His response was simple:
“I thought it was a penalty.”
But then came the awkward part.
As he was speaking, the replay of the challenge appeared on the screen behind him, forcing the Scotland star to watch the incident back in real time.
His Reaction
McTominay fell silent as the footage rolled.
The replay appeared to show contact from El Aynaoui on the Scotland midfielder’s lower leg before he went to ground.
McTominay watched carefully before admitting he would need to look at it again before giving a stronger opinion.
For many Scotland fans, however, his reaction spoke volumes.
The Verdict
ITV refereeing expert Christina Unkel had no doubts.
“The first thing you are looking for as a VAR is if there is any touch on that ball, and the answer is no. There is a trip coming from behind that does contact his left lower leg. This is a very clear penalty.”
Not everyone agreed.
Roy Keane said: “I don’t think it is a penalty, simple as that. I think he is looking to go down.”
What’s Next?
The defeat leaves Scotland needing a result against Brazil to keep their World Cup knockout hopes alive.
But the penalty controversy is still dominating the conversation.
The Bottom Line
McTominay thought it was a penalty.
Then he watched the replay.
And his reaction has Scotland fans convinced they were denied a huge decision.
