John McGinn sent the Tartan Army into raptures in Foxborough, firing Scotland into a 1-0 lead against Haiti in their World Cup opener – but the joy on the pitch was offset by growing concerns over empty stadiums and a fresh VAR controversy that left FIFA red-faced.
The Aston Villa midfielder pounced on a follow-up after Che Adams’ initial effort was saved, capitalising on a neat combination from Adams and Ben Gannon-Doak. The goal proved the difference in a tough contest that saw Steve Clarke’s side forced to weather early pressure from the CONCACAF opponents. Scotland’s hopes were boosted when Scott McTominay was passed fit to start after a stomach bug threatened his place.
“John McGinn scored as Scotland beat Haiti but empty seats and a VAR failure dominated World Cup opening.”
While Scotland celebrated, elsewhere FIFA were forced to admit a technological failure during Qatar’s 1-1 draw with Switzerland, after the VAR system went down. The malfunction proved costly: Switzerland were awarded a penalty for a foul by the goalkeeper, even though replays showed Remon Freuler was clearly offside in the build-up. Qatar salvaged a point with a 94th-minute equaliser, but the damage to the tournament’s credibility had been done.
The issues did not end there. Fans had already pointed out large sections of stadiums were left empty during the opening matches, with expensive ticket prices blamed for the poor attendance – a problem visible from the start of the competition.
Elsewhere, Vinicius Jr equalised for Brazil against Morocco in an all-star affair that saw Tom Brady and Travis Scott among those watching alongside Neymar before the match. Meanwhile, the England team arrived in the United States after a theft of equipment ahead of their game against Croatia – two arrests have been made, and police in Kansas said there could be “possible charges”.