Scotland Secures World Cup Victory Against Haiti, Sets New Records

Scotland achieved a 1-0 victory over Haiti in their opening World Cup match. This win marks the third time Scotland has won its inaugural World Cup fixture, previously accomplishing this in 1974 and 1982. In all three instances, Scotland topped their group after the first matchday, with Brazil also present in each group.

This latest triumph is Scotland's fifth overall World Cup win and their first since a 2-1 victory against Sweden in 1990. It is also their first World Cup win secured with a single goal. Scotland recorded their fourth clean sheet in World Cup history, with two wins and two draws. Three of these clean sheets were against teams from the Americas, including the recent win against Haiti, and 0-0 draws against Uruguay in 1986 and Brazil in 1974.

Angus Gunn became the third Scottish goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet at the World Cup, following David Harvey (who achieved it twice in 1974) and Jim Leighton (in 1986).

Haiti, despite the loss, delivered their strongest defensive performance in their four-match World Cup history. They conceded only one goal, faced nine shots with two on target, and had an expected goals conceded (xGC) of 1.05.

John McGinn, at 31 years and 238 days old, became the oldest player to score for Scotland in the World Cup, surpassing Kenny Dalglish's record set against New Zealand in 1982. Prior to McGinn's goal, Scotland held more possession (59% to 41%) and total attempts (6 to 3). However, after the 29th minute, Haiti dominated possession (60% to 40%) and registered more total shots (12 to 3).

Andy Robertson led Scotland with 68 touches, 18 passes in the final third, and six line-breaking passes in the final third. He also created two chances, a joint team-high.

(Source: Yahoo Sports Soccer)