Boston, June 14, 2026
Goalscorer John McGinn admitted his match-winning strike may not have been his finest, but said he could not care less after helping the Scotland football team secure their first FIFA World Cup victory in 36 years with a 1-0 win over Haiti in Group C.
McGinn’s deflected effort in the 29th minute proved enough to separate the sides at Boston Stadium as Scotland celebrated their first World Cup win since 1990 and their first appearance at the tournament since 1998.
“It wasn’t my best of goals, but who cares?” McGinn said after the match. “It was all a bit surreal, to be honest. When it hit the back of the net, you could just see the Scotland fans in the stadium going wild. I don’t think it’s really sunk in yet, but it’s just a great feeling,” he said after the match.
Scotland had started strongly, with Scott McTominay heading over before striking the post early on. Haiti threatened at times, but McGinn’s goal, created after good work by Che Adams and Ben Doak, ultimately proved decisive.
Reflecting on Scotland’s approach, McGinn said the squad had spoken about making the most of their opportunity on the world stage.
“These opportunities don’t come around too often. We said before at major tournaments, at the EUROs, did we bring our best? Or did we leave the tournament saying we could have done more or shown more?
“That’s what I tried to bring to the game tonight. Sometimes things didn’t come off, but I promised myself that I would be positive and try things. If it didn’t come off, get the ball and try it again,” he added.
Doak, whose run and cross played a key role in the winning goal, was one of Scotland’s standout performers. The 20-year-old described his World Cup debut as the best moment of his career.
“Number one. A World Cup debut in the United States. It can’t get any better than that, especially playing for a country like Scotland. Our fans were brilliant. Scotland fans travel well, and they travel in numbers, and they travel loud. I’m just buzzing. I loved every single minute of it,” Doak said.
After a good start, Scotland will next face Morocco on June 20 (IST) in their second group stage match.(Agency)
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