Haiti tried but failed to open the scoring in their first World Cup match in 52 years, against Scotland.
Midfielder John McGinn, European champion with Aston Villa, scored the winning goal for Scotland, which came in the 27th minute of the first half in the match played at Gillette Stadium, in Foxborough, Boston (USA).
The European team had not played in a World Cup since 1998 and recorded, this Saturday (13), their first World Cup victory since 1990, when they defeated Sweden in the group stage.
The Caribbean team is Brazil’s next opponent in the World Cup, in a game on Friday (19), at 9:30 pm, Brasília time. The match will be played in Philadelphia. Against Scotland, the Brazilian team plays on the 24th, at 7pm, in Miami.
The play that ended with Scotland’s goal began with Adams receiving the ball on a long throw, from before the middle of the field. He crossed the line with McTominay, who returned the ball into the small area. Placide, the Haitian goalkeeper, saved, but the shot fell at the feet of McGinn, who finished.
Scotland’s result takes the European team to the top of the group, as Brazil and Morocco drew with one goal each. Haiti goes to last place.
In this Saturday’s match, the Haitians pressed and kept possession of the ball, with a first half of quick plays and the ball on the ground. The pace dropped in the second half and the net no longer shook.
On Haiti’s side, there were 15 shots, like Expérience’s in the final minutes. In addition to him, Bellegarde, Providence and Pierrot arrived in the small area, but the goal did not come.
Scotland is coming from a period of stability with players having good seasons on European teams. In addition to McGinn, full-back and captain Andy Robertson plays for Liverpool and midfielder Scott McTominay plays for Napoli, who participated in the play that led to the goal.
Haiti, on the other hand, has players from lower divisions in its squad, such as goalkeeper Placide, who plays for Bastia, a team that fell to the third division, or Bellegarde, from Wolverhampton, a club that moved to the second division this season.
The situation reflects the team’s particular situation, which has all its players living far from Haiti, a country controlled by gangs, immersed in violence and insecurity. Qualifying for the 2026 World Cup was an achievement, leading the country to rare moments of joy and celebration. The last classification had taken place in 1974.
Next group C game
Scotland and Morocco face each other on Friday (19), at 7pm Brasília time.
The broadcast is exclusive to CazéTV, on YouTube.
