Steve Clarke bites back at critics after nervy Scotland win over Haiti in 2026 World Cup opener - 'They don’t understand football'

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Steve Clarke hit out at critics after Scotland won their 2026 World Cup opener against Haiti in a nervy affair, with John McGinn netting the winner in the first half.

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The victory was far from straightforward, with Haiti the better side for large portions and piling on the pressure late on.

The victory was Scotland's first at the World Cup in 36 years, on their first appearance in 28 years.

Afterwards, Clarke bit back at those who suggested that Scotland would defeat Haiti by the larger margin before the start of the tournament.

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"The narrative is by people who don't understand football," Clarke told ITV. "People with an opinion, but they don't understand football.

"I knew that would be a tough, tough game for us. That's the way it turned out. I thought Haiti were terrific tonight. They gave everything. But we got the three points, that's what we set out to do.

"Everyone's saying 'must win'. Well, we won, so give us credit for winning."

John McGinn celebrates his goal

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Haiti join Sweden, Netherlands, New Zealand and then-Zaire on the list of five teams that Scotland have now beaten at the World Cup.

The sole goal of the game from the Aston Villa skipper took a hefty deflection, perhaps befitting a game in which Scotland scraped over the line.

The goal sparked jubilant celebrations inside the stadium in Massachusetts, as well as back in Scotland.

Scotland captain Andy Robertson described the "amazing feeling" of representing his country at the World Cup - and picking up a historic win.

"The lads achieved their dreams today," Robertson told the BBC. "It was such a long day waiting, I can't imagine what the fans back home were like staying up so late.

"The fact we managed to walk out on to the pitch and sing the national anthem together, it was so special. To then go and follow it up with a win, it doesn't get much better than that.

"Three important points. People expected us to win, but we had to go out and do it. It was so important to win that game, and I'm glad we did it.

"The biggest thing was when we scored, we didn't look like conceding, and that has to be a credit to every single player out there that defended for their lives.

"We worked so well from a defensive point of view, and when you're 1-0 up, that's what you need. It's the World Cup, it's the biggest stage. People get nervous near the end, but we felt pretty relaxed on the pitch."

The Tartan Army will hope for a much-improved performance on Friday, as they return to Boston to take on Morocco.

The North African side impressed greatly during the first half of their 1-1 draw with Brazil - though the combination of the two Group C results means Scotland sit top.

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Scotland's last World Cup victory came in a 2-1 win over Sweden in 1990. But in 2026, McGinn was the match-winner and the 31-year-old described the "absolutely unbelievable" feeling afterwards.

"It's crazy. It was nae my best of goals, but who cares? It's been a long time coming," he said. "Haiti are a decent team, by the way. They played New Zealand off the pitch. We had to work hard for it.

"Could we have played a bit better? Aye. But it was a must-win game, and we won, so absolutely over the moon. We've been through a lot as a country. A generation of supporters haven't seen this.

"The pride on my face this morning seeing all the kids going to parks in Scotland kits, painting their face. Hopefully, when they get up, they'll be absolutely beaming with pride. What a win."

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