Scotland squeeze past Haiti 1-0 to bag first World Cup win in 36 years

BOSTON: Scotland battled past Haiti 1-0 on Saturday (Jun 13) courtesy of John McGinn's deflected first-half goal to go top of World Cup Group C with their first win in the tournament since 1990.

Hordes of Scotland's famous "Tartan Army" travelling supporters packed the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, outside Boston, to watch manager Steve Clarke's side claim their first victory in a World Cup game since the 1990 finals in Italy.

After a deafening rendition of "Flower of Scotland", the Scots started a physical contest on the front foot, with midfield star Scott McTominay hitting the post in the 17th minute.

McGinn put them into the lead in the 28th minute when his shot took a double deflection to land in the back of the Haiti net.

Scotland, at times struggled with the Haitians' pace, but the Caribbean team, making their first appearance at the World Cup since 1974, lacked clinical finishing.

While the Scots could not extend their advantage against a resilient Haiti team, they hung on grimly in the closing stages before bagging a precious three points.

"Everyone said it was a must-win game - we won the game," said Clarke, whose team are bidding to make history by reaching the knockout stages for the first time.

Scotland next play Morocco, who drew 1-1 with Brazil earlier on Saturday, while Haiti take on the five-time world champions, with both games on Jun 19.