15 June,2026 09:09 AM IST | Boston | AFP
Scotland’s John McGinn celebrates his goal against Haiti in Boston. Pic/AFP
Scotland match-winner John McGinn is optimistic his team can go on to reach the World Cup knockout stages for the very first time after marking their return to the tournament following a 28-year absence with a 1-0 win over Haiti on Saturday.
A deflected strike from the Aston Villa midfielder in the first half saw Scotland claim victory in their Group C opener. McGinn later said: "It was crucial. This was our pressure game, we were favourites going in."
"Haiti are a very difficult opponent. We will go into the games against Brazil and Morocco with more gears to go up. Scotland winning at a World Cup again is the main takeaway tonight," added McGinn, who had not scored for his country in over 18 months.
Scotland are appearing at their first World Cup since 1998, when they were eliminated in the group stage after defeats against both Brazil and Morocco. Saturday's win was their first at any major tournament since 1996.
However, it has put them in a fantastic position to reach the last 32, especially as the eight best third-placed teams in the group stage will progress. One point from the next two matches, against Morocco back in Boston on Friday and then Brazil in Miami on June 24, could ensure qualification.
"Both teams are in the world's top 10. We know the qualities they possess, but we can cause them problems in the same way Haiti caused us. It might suit us a bit better to play on the counterattack. We know one point or three points would take us into uncharted territory and we know what's at stake," said McGinn about Morocco and Brazil.
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