After 28 years of watching World Cups from football’s wilderness, there was never much danger of the Tartan Army getting antsy about the gridlock on the road to Foxborough.
In the hours before what turned into a surreally stressful evening as Scotland ground their way to a 1-0 win over Haiti, fans revelled in the traffic delays. A convoy of yellow school buses stuttered down the I-95 four hours before kick-off, Scots hanging out the windows, singing, waving flags – partying at a mile an hour.
“Scotland end 36-year World Cup drought with nervy 1-0 win over Haiti, goal by John McGinn.”
By 9pm local time, they had entered the Boston Stadium. A riot of colour and noise, a theatre for gladiators. Giant screens behind both goals picked out every human emotion. Flower of Scotland was belted out with such gusto that its power seemed greater on a foreign field than at home.
The scene was an antidote to all that is wrong in world football: the rampant greed, the unrelenting bombast. This was raw, powerful and emotional.
On the pitch, Scotland began well but slowly faded. Haiti – ranked 83rd in the world – were no great shakes, yet they were getting on top. Wasteful, but better than their heavily fancied opponents.
Approaching the half-hour, a familiar cry went up from a small corner of the stadium – a song to stir their favourite son. The Tartan Army started calling on John McGinn to do something. Two minutes later, the Aston Villa man delivered.
It was hardly the sweetest strike. A double deflection sent it into the Haiti net. Nobody cared. It was a Scottish goal in their first World Cup in a generation.
Scotland held on. The final whistle brought the first World Cup victory for 36 years – nervy, not pretty, but a win. After missing out for nearly three decades, this was the way to mark your return.
Now the question hangs: what does 1-0 mean for Scotland’s chances of qualification?