Scotland match-winner John McGinn optimistic about reaching World Cup knockouts
The 1-0 win over Haiti put them in a good position, especially as the eight best third-placed teams in the group stage will progress
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 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,” McGinn, who had not scored for his country in over 18 months, said.
“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? Of course we can. But this is brilliant, and 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.”
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.