BOSTON (Reuters) – Scotland, roared on by their Tartan Army of travelling fans, savoured ​their first World Cup win in 36 years on Saturday when they edged past Haiti for a scrappy 1-0 victory settled ‌by a first-half strike from John McGinn.
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The Scots – needing three points against a side ranked among the minnows of the game before facing tougher opposition in the shape of Brazil and Morocco in their other Group C matches – went ahead in the 28th minute.
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A close-range effort by Che Adams was saved by Johny Placide ​only for the ball to fall to McGinn whose shot was deflected over the Haiti goalkeeper and into the net.
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Eleven minutes ​earlier, Scott McTominay had smacked a shot against a post and, although Haiti showed glimpses of their â electric pace and put pressure on Scotland in the closing stages, Scottish goalkeeper Angus Gunn barely had a save to make.
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The win, ​although not pretty, puts Steve Clarke’s men top of the group ahead of five-time world champions Brazil and 2022 semi-finalists Morocco who drew 1-1 earlier on ​Saturday and bolsters their hopes of finally making it into the knockout round of a major competition.
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“We probably put the supporters through it a little bit. Everyone said it was a must-win game. We won the game,” Clarke told BBC radio. “Defensively – outstanding. We probably could have been a little bit better with the ​ball, but who cares?”
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At the final whistle, Scotland’s supporters also showed no sign of worrying about the lack of flowing football as they ​launched into a raucous rendition of their trademark celebration song “Yes Sir, I Can Boogie” by Spanish 1970s disco act Baccara.
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A GOOD CHANCE OF QUALIFYING
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Under FIFA’s ‌expanded tournament â format, three points and a decent goal difference at the end of the group stage would offer a good chance of qualifying for the knockout stage of the competition, something that has eluded Scotland in all of their previous eight World Cups.
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The Scottish supporters made the most of their return to the global stage after an absence of 28 years, giving a lung-busting rendition of their familiar tribute song ​for McGinn.
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He repaid the compliment with ​his goal – which at 31 â years and 238 days of age made him the oldest Scotland player to score at a World Cup – less than a month after he lifted the Europa League trophy as captain of England’s Aston Villa, ​while winger Ben Gannon-Doak threatened with his pace.
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Haiti – playing at their first World Cup since 1974 – ​were bolstered by â the inclusion of two players with experience of playing in the English Premier League – Jean-Ricner Bellegarde of Wolverhampton Wanderers and Sunderland’s Wilson Isidor.
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But they had only a few glimpses of an equaliser. In the 38th minute, the ball fell to Ruben Providence a few yards out but he was â dispossessed by ​Aaron Hickey. Frantzdy Pierrot headed narrowly wide in the 85th minute and had ​another chance in the dying moments but Scotland clung on for their win.
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The Scots – whose last win at the World Cup was a 2-1 defeat of Sweden in 1990 – next ​meet Morocco in Boston while Haiti face Brazil in Philadelphia with both games taking place on Friday.