Scotland wins World Cup opener against Haiti 1-0

The ball took a deflection and flew into the net beyond the reach of the Haiti goalkeeper. There was not much Johnny Placide could do in Haiti's goal on this day, even though the Caribbean nation fought passionately.

Scotland struggles against defensive Haiti

Otherwise, the favorites continued to struggle in the Boston stadium. Scotland, coached by Steve Clarke, did control the game in phases, but found few clear chances against the defensively organized Haitians for a long time.

As early as the 3rd minute, Ben Gannon-Doak had a first attempt, though it did not trouble Haiti's keeper Johnny Placide. At the other end, Louicius Deedson won the ball in midfield two minutes later, drove toward goal, but then finished too hastily.

In the 11th minute, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde aimed too high from the edge of the box. The drinks break after about 20 minutes interrupted a phase in which both teams were cautious.

After a free kick from the right side, Frantzdy Pierrot completely lacked precision (34th). The 1.94-meter-tall Pierrot, one of Haiti's most prominent figures, later beat Hendry and headed a cross from the right side just centimeters wide of the post.

Haiti fights and squanders chances to equalize

In the second half, Scotland increased the pressure but initially remained too imprecise. Lawrence Shankland narrowly missed a cross from Andrew Robertson in the center (55th). The second round of Group C will take place in the night leading into next Saturday, Swiss time.

The team coached by Sébastien Migné threw everything forward and created several promising opportunities. For instance, in the 73rd minute, a shot from Ruben Providence narrowly whistled past the post.

In the immediate counterattack, Isidor narrowly missed a sharp cross from Ruben Providence. The only notable chance was recorded by goalscorer McGinn in the 73rd minute, when he fired wide from a promising position. Jack Hendry rescued his side in the nick of time with a header against Wilson Isidor.

Or in the 85th minute, when Frantzdy Pierrot had the equalizer at his head but could not put the ball in the net. After nearly 98 minutes, referee Mustapha Ghorbal (Algeria) ended the match.

Group C standings after the first matchday

Scotland sat atop the Group C standings after Brazil and Morocco had played out a 1-1 draw in the Group C headline fixture. Scotland had to wait 28 years before being able to travel to a World Cup again.

When the first World Cup win since 1990 became reality about two hours later, the «Tartan Army» erupted in boundless ecstasy. Tens of thousands of Scottish fans had already turned Boston into a red-and-white party zone before kickoff, including singer Rod Stewart.

For the Caribbean nation, this marks a World Cup return after their first appearance in 1974. Haiti's only previous appearance at a World Cup dates back even further: 1974 in Germany. Back then, Haiti lost all three group games.

Political background and FIFA decision

Before the match, FIFA had already banned a controversial jersey illustration from Haiti. The depiction showed the final battle of the Haitian War of Independence in 1803. The manufacturer described the illustration as «eine Hommage an die Männer und Frauen, die jeden Tag für Haitis Zukunft kämpfen».

Outlook on the second group matchday

In addition, US government entry restrictions under President Trump had limited the number of Haitian fans in the stadium. Haiti is a Caribbean nation marked by poverty, hunger, and political crises. Backup goalkeeper Josué Duverger of German fifth-division side FC Cosmos Koblenz did not feature.

For Scotland, the tournament continues on Saturday (0:00 CEST) in Boston against Morocco. Haiti faces Brazil from 2:30 a.m. The match will be broadcast live in the stream at sportschau.de and on Das Erste. The next decisive group games await both teams in the night leading into Saturday.