FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Coach Steve Clarke made it clear he didn’t enjoy his first two experiences leading Scotland during lackluster showings in the European Championship.
So far the sport’s biggest stage has brought him — and the Scots — a lot more luck.
John McGinn deflected a shot off an opposing defender and past goalkeeper Johny Placide in the 28th minute, and Scotland defeated Haiti 1-0 in Group C of the World Cup on Saturday.
“When it went into the back of the net, you could feel the Scotland fans,” McGinn said.
Scotland, making its first appearance in the tournament since 1998, earned its first World Cup victory since 1990, when it beat Sweden 2-1.
“We came here to get three points. We did and now we move on,” Scotland midfielder Lewis Ferguson said.
Getting those crucial points did a lot more than that.
Group favorites Brazil and Morocco played to a 1-1 draw earlier in the day, putting Scotland at the top of the group standings.
“We obviously have a little less pressure than everyone put on us in this game,” Clarke said. “They deserve to be the team that finally got in under their belt in the World Cup.”
Haiti, whose only other World Cup appearance was in West Germany in 1974, is still in search of its first World Cup point. The Grenadiers had multiple chances in the second half but couldn’t quite equalize.
“We’re playing at an extremely high level. But you can get punished with one oversight,” Haiti coach Sébastien Migné said.
McGinn’s goal came off a rebound from Che Adams’ miss in the box that bounced off Placide and into open space. McGinn’s shot ricocheted off a defender from 13 yards out.
Scotland’s Tartan Army supporters were out in mass, creating a wave of red inside a filled in Gillette Stadium, located about 30 miles outside Boston.
Scotland came close to a goal in the 17th minute when captain Scott McTominay got loose and fired a shot that clipped the top of the post.
Haiti had its best opportunities in the second half. In the 74th minute, Ruben Providence sent a cross in to Wilson Isidor, but the forward came up empty on his attempt to direct the ball in.
Then in the 84th, Frantzdy Pierrot, who moved from Haiti to Boston at the age of 11, hit a header that went a wide of the left side.
Scotland stays in town to play Morocco at Gillette Stadium on Friday. Haiti will next face Brazil on Friday in Philadelphia.
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