John McGinn repaid head coach Steve Clarke’s faith in him by firing Scotland to their first World Cup win in 36 years as they edged past Haiti on their return to the men’s tournament after a 28-year absence.
Clarke said pre-match that the selection of Aston Villa captain McGinn instead of Ryan Christie was “probably the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make” and challenged the 31-year-old to prove him right.
It is safe to say that sending his country to the top of Group C while taking a significant step towards reaching the knockout stage for the first time does just that – even if this was a nerve-shattering night at the Boston Stadium.
So often one of the first names on the teamsheet, the reason for the uncertainty was Christie’s fine performance in last Saturday’s final friendly against Bolivia, which also had many Scotland fans hoping for a hefty scoreline here.
Despite a sharp start, that seldom looked likely against Haiti, with Scotland poor on ball and grateful for their opponents’ profligacy.
Countless balls were swung in to the box by the Caribbean side, and keeper Angus Gunn – who was chosen in front of 43-year-old Craig Gordon, the oldest player at the tournament – was forced to remain on high-alert.
The memories of past slip-ups against Costa Rica, Iran and Peru hung heavy in the air.
Despite that, McGinn had the opportunity to ease the Tartan Army’s growing concerns with 20 minutes remaining, but instead dragged his effort wide.
It made for an anxious ending – particularly when Frantzdy Pierrot directed a header wide – to a day fuelled by exhilaration and excitement.
The Scots return to Boston on Friday, 19 June against Morocco to do it all again and know a point in their next two group games will likely guarantee progress.
