Scotland captain Andy Robertson, who recently completed a transfer from Liverpool to Tottenham, believes his team has taken a "big step" toward making history after the 1-0 World Cup win over Haiti
Scott McDermott
23:45, 14 Jun 2026Updated 23:48, 14 Jun 2026
Andy Robertson has reacted to his team's win
Andy Robertson has reacted to his team's win(Image: Getty Images)
Scotland captain Andy Robertson has declared that his team took a monumental stride toward making history with its World Cup victory over Haiti.
Steve Clarke's men secured a vital 1-0 triumph in their Group C opener in Boston, courtesy of John McGinn's first-half strike. The result placed them at the summit of the table following Brazil's draw with Morocco in New Jersey.
Regardless of the Scots' display, former Liverpool star Robertson is resolute that they accomplished their primary objective by claiming all three points against the Caribbean minnows. He is now convinced that his teammates are firmly on course to become the first Scotland side in history to advance to the knockout stages of a major tournament.
The skipper said: "We got the result and togetherness that we wanted. This was the game people expected us to win. Let's be honest, people back in Scotland didn't really know anything about Haiti. We'd done our homework and knew it would be difficult.
"We knew how they'd be difficult, with counter-attacks because they're really strong and quick. But I thought we dealt with it really well. We defended so well.
"Could we have been better on the ball? Yeah. Could we maybe have defended higher up the pitch at times? Maybe. But when everyone in the country expects you to win, you have to get credit when you do win.
Ben Gannon-Doak is a former Liverpool star
Ben Gannon-Doak is a former Liverpool star(Image: Getty Images)
"We're delighted. It's three points and a big step towards what we want to achieve. Could the next two games maybe suit us better with less expectation? Time will tell. They're two fantastic teams, so it's obviously going to be difficult.
"But we've done pretty well against the bigger nations, so we have to believe in ourselves. We're now on three points. What we need to go through, we don't know yet. But we've certainly made a big step today.
"None of the lads are shying away from it — we want to be the first Scotland team to make history. That's our determination and motivation, and we've taken a good step towards that."
Robertson praises ex-Liverpool star
Scotland earned its triumph over Haiti, though it occasionally complicated matters for itself. After McGinn's opener, the Scots struggled to double their advantage and faced late pressure defending their penalty area to preserve the result.
However, Clarke found plenty of encouragement at the final whistle. Grant Hanley and Lewis Ferguson delivered outstanding displays, while young winger Ben Gannon-Doak made a significant contribution in the build-up to the goal.
Robertson played alongside the Bournemouth kid at Liverpool and says he can be a game-changer for his country. The Reds sold Gannon-Doak to the Cherries in a £25 million ($33 million) deal last summer. He said: "Ben was excellent, he's such an exciting player.
"The experienced boys are still trying to help him because at times he does things that can frustrate us, of course he does. But he's an incredible talent. He's lightning quick. He can take a player on. He can make something happen in the game.
"Those players are always exciting, and they're probably quite rare in Scotland. So he's such a talent, a good player, and such a good guy because he listens to all of us. He always tries to take it on board, and he was excellent against Haiti.
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"But there were others, too. Hanley and Jack Hendry at the back were outstanding. Fergie as well. Defensively, the team were really strong. Sometimes we made wrong decisions with the ball, but we were all good defensively, and that's why we got the clean sheet."