After a 28-year wait to return to the World Cup, John McGinn’s first-half winner secured a massive three points against Haiti. Photo: AFP
Scotland match-winner John McGinn is optimistic his team can go on to reach the Fifa 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 in Boston proved enough for Scotland to claim the victory in their Group C opener, although they were left hanging on towards the end as Haiti put them under pressure.
"It was crucial. This was our pressure game; we were the favourites going into it. Haiti are a very difficult opponent," said McGinn, who had not scored for his country in over 18 months.
"They have so many unique qualities that we are not used to playing against, so the important thing tonight was to get a clean sheet and get the three points, and we have managed to do that. Can we play a bit better?
