John McGinn etched his name into Scottish football history as his goal secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Haiti and ended Scotland’s 10,255-day wait for a World Cup goal.
Making their first appearance at the global showpiece in 28 years, Scotland celebrated a winning return at Boston Stadium thanks to McGinn’s decisive strike just before the half-hour mark.
The midfielder, who had gone 13 international matches without scoring since November 2024, broke the deadlock after a lively move involving Ben Gannon-Doak and Che Adams. His effort took deflections off Hannes Delcroix and Danley Jean Jacques before finding the back of the net, making him Scotland’s first World Cup goalscorer since Craig Burley scored against Norway in 1998.
Despite being favourites, Steve Clarke’s side were made to work hard by Haiti, one of the lowest-ranked teams at the tournament. The Caribbean nation threatened throughout the contest and came close to grabbing an equaliser on several occasions.
Scotland created the better early opportunities, with Scott McTominay heading over from Andy Robertson’s cross before striking the post from a cutback delivered by Gannon-Doak.
Haiti responded positively and nearly levelled before the break when Angus Gunn spilled a shot from Ruben Providence, but the goalkeeper recovered quickly to deny Frantzdy Pierrot with assistance from Grant Hanley.
The pressure continued after the interval as Gannon-Doak remained a constant threat, while McGinn squandered a chance to double Scotland’s advantage.
Haiti pushed forward in search of an equaliser during the closing stages and came closest in the 85th minute when Pierrot met Carlens Arcus’ cross with a powerful header, only to send his effort narrowly wide.
Scotland survived eight tense minutes of stoppage time to secure all three points and move to the top of Group C following Brazil’s 1-1 draw with Morocco earlier in the day.
McGinn’s winner also saw him become Scotland’s oldest World Cup goalscorer at 31 years and 238 days, surpassing Kenny Dalglish’s previous record set against New Zealand in 1982.
The match also highlighted Scotland’s new generation, with Ben Gannon-Doak impressing throughout before 19-year-old Findlay Curtis briefly became the youngest Scot to appear at a World Cup after coming on as a substitute.
The victory was Scotland’s first at a World Cup since their 2-1 triumph over Sweden in Italy in 1990 and leaves the Tartan Army dreaming of reaching the knockout stages for the first time in the nation’s history.
