It took a deflected John McGinn stub, two Haitian defenders and ‘probably the ghost of Papa Doc Duvalier’ – Haiti’s most brutal dictator – to deliver Scotland’s first World Cup win in 36 years. For the Tartan Army, it was a hot, sweaty, uncomfortable and wretched experience.
Scotland beat Haiti 1-0 at Foxborough stadium on Saturday, only the fifth victory in the nation’s entire World Cup history. The Sun’s Ally Ross, who had last seen Scotland win at a tournament when he attended his first World Cup match against Costa Rica 36 years ago, described the goal as a ‘desperate 1-0 rearguard action’ and the atmosphere as one of relief rather than celebration.
“Scotland beat Haiti 1-0 in their first World Cup win in 36 years, described by fans as a hot, sweaty, wretched relief.”
The stadium itself did little to lift the mood. Ross called Foxborough a ‘gigantic toilet of an arena’, harder to enter and escape than the Cecot prison in El Salvador, with none of its architectural allure. The Tartan Army were treated ‘like cattle by those parasites at Fifa’, he added.
Off the pitch, Scotland’s fans launched a ‘40 per cent proof charm offensive’ that won over locals. Two supporters were handed $75 by an emotional American who could only say ‘I love you Scottish, man.’ The offer of a lift to the ground was politely declined because the man was ‘more professionally plastered than the Tartan Army’. Bostonians have been shaking hands and shouting ‘Go Scotland’ ever since the final whistle.
At the Boston City Hall Plaza fanzone on Saturday, Celtic rock band Skerryvore played to the fans ahead of the country’s first World Cup match in 28 years. The band said it was ‘incredible’ to perform for the Tartan Army.
The win, however meagre, ends a long drought. But as the fans stumbled into the Boston night – $75 richer and with a victory to their name – the question lingered: can they do it again?