John McGinn 'beaming with pride' after World Cup win

Scotland's John McGinn stated that his "scuffed" goal, which helped lead to Scotland's victory over Haiti in their World Cup opener, left him "beaming with pride." He expressed hope that children across the country shared the same sentiment. The Aston Villa midfielder's deflected effort in the first half secured Scotland's first World Cup win since 1990, during their first finals appearance since 1998. Scotland now sits at the top of Group C, aiming to reach the knockout stages for the first time ever, despite experiencing a tense second half where Haiti threatened to equalize.

"It wasn’t my best of goals but who cares? It’s been a long time coming," McGinn told BBC Sport. "I scuffed it a wee bit. Haiti are a decent team by the way. We had to work hard for it. Could we play a bit better? Aye. But it was a must-win game and we won. I’m absolutely over the moon."

Scotland is expected to face Morocco and Brazil on Friday, June 19 and Wednesday, June 24 respectively. While acknowledging the need for improvement, McGinn indicated that the team would savor this victory after their return to football's biggest event. "We’ve been through a lot of hurt as a country," he noted. "A generation of supporters haven’t seen this. But the pride on my face this morning seeing all the kids going to the parks in a Scotland kit and painting their faces. Hopefully when kids get up tomorrow they’ll be beaming with pride because I am. It sets things up for Friday [against Morocco]."

After a six-year absence from the World Cup, Scotland went into their opener against Haiti as favorites following solid warm-up victories. Head coach Steve Clarke commended his team's resilience in keeping Haiti at bay, even admitting that it was time for the team to win a match in the group stage. "Just said to [captain] Andy Robertson there, it’s about time we won a game in the group stage," Clarke stated. "Everyone said must win... we won. That’s what this team is all about. They can play, but if they have to dig in they do that as well. Defensively outstanding."

Following the hard-fought contest, Scotland's supporters celebrated zealously in Boston Stadium, ultimately witnessing their national team claim its fifth triumph at World Cup finals and only the fourth clean sheet in their history. Clarke remarked on the encouraging atmosphere among fans: "The supporters were unbelievable at the end. It was a good night for the fans and my boys are alright."