WORLD CUP DAY 3 ROUND-UP: Scotland beat Haiti, a tornado threat was issued, Brazil survived a major scare, a VAR controversy emerged and two men were charged in connection with England’s kit theft
Scotland kicked off their World Cup 2026 campaign with a 1-0 victory as John McGinn’s first-half goal was enough to beat Haiti
The Tartan Army top Group C after securing their maiden World Cup triumph in 36 years, with the Aston Villa midfielder setting new benchmarks in the process. And it came on a night of drama on day three of the tournament.
There was a tornado threat, five-time world champions Brazil survived a major scare, a VAR controversy emerged as the technology once again failed to work properly, and two men were charged in connection with England’s kit theft. Here’s our round-up of all the big news from day three of the World Cup.
JOIN US ON FB! Get all the best sports news and much more on our Facebook page
Scotland record
Boston staged Scotland’s opening World Cup fixture since 1998 and the Scots dismissed any early jitters as Ben Gannon-Doak and Scott McTominay threatened, with the Napoli midfielder striking the post with a thunderbolt shot, before FIFA-ranked 83rd nation Haiti began finding their rhythm.
Angus Gunn was fortunate when he spilled a shot before Grant Hanley’s stretched limb thwarted Sunderland forward Wilson Isidor.
The tension, anxiety and apprehension would have been tangible as the tournament build-up intensified, but relief would have washed over when 31-year-old McGinn’s strike found its way home via a deflection.
Che Adams saw his attempt expertly thwarted in the lead-up after linking with winger Gannon-Doak, but Haiti skipper Johny Placide denied the striker from close range. Yet moments afterwards, he was retrieving the ball from his net after McGinn’s effort into the turf was redirected goalwards.
The Villa skipper, who became Scotland’s oldest goalscorer at a World Cup at 31 years, 238 days, eclipsing the legendary Sir Kenny Dalglish (31 years and 103 days), who had held the record since his strike against New Zealand in 1982, reports the Mirror.
McGinn couldn’t contain his delight and spoke passionately about witnessing supporters and Scottish youngsters wearing the iconic jersey in local parks across Massachusetts ahead of the match.
He said: “It wasn’t my best of goals, who cares. Look at this man, absolutely unbelievable. Haiti are a good team, they played New Zealand and Peru off the pitch, it was a must-win game and we won.”
Two charged over England theft
England’s preparations for this World Cup have been anything but smooth.
A tropical Florida thunderstorm pushed back their final warm-up fixture against Costa Rica by an hour, then upon reaching Kansas City, the Three Lions’ kit and gear was nicked.
Two men have now been charged with receiving stolen property in connection with the pinched England kit and equipment. Mustafa Salik and Erfan Kamal each face one count of the Class D felony, under Missouri law.
The stolen goods were worth around $18,000 (£13,000). Prosecutor Melesa Johnson said: “Jackson County will not tolerate any criminal activity that targets World Cup visitors, including the international teams that have travelled here to compete.
“We thank the Kansas City Police Department and our on-call attorneys for their quick work investigating this incident and filing charges immediately. Our office is committed to holding these individuals accountable.”
It was subsequently alleged that the recovered items included four pairs of boots valued at £250 each, alongside five pairs of shoes totalling $1,139.50.
England players advised to take cover
England players were instructed to take refuge indoors after a tornado alert was issued in Kansas City.
During the clash between Scotland and Haiti, warnings were dispatched to residents in the area regarding winds reaching up to 80 miles per hour with the danger of flying debris emphasised. The severe thunderstorm alert issued at approximately 8pm was escalated to a ‘Tornado Watch’ roughly 30 minutes afterwards.
The conditions proved so extreme that local inhabitants were left without electricity, though the most severe weather was reported to have moved through on Saturday evening, allowing England’s Sunday preparations to proceed.
Journalists on location turned to social media to document the latest bout of adverse weather affecting the Three Lions across the pond. For viewers following their Scottish counterparts against Haiti, Fox’s coverage saw the match relegated to a small section of the screen as an emergency weather bulletin was broadcast.
VAR controversy
FIFA has confirmed that a technical glitch affected VAR, leading to Switzerland’s contentious opening goal against Qatar.
The football governing body issued a statement acknowledging that the technology failed, resulting in an oversight of Remo Freuler, who was initially offside, being fouled by Qatar goalkeeper Mahmud Abunada.
Breel Embolo stepped up and slotted home the penalty, propelling the Swiss to the brink of victory until they conceded a stoppage-time equaliser to Boualem Khoukhi.
In their statement, FIFA explained: “During the Qatar vs. Switzerland match in the San Francisco Bay Area, a brief technical outage prevented the onside animation graphic from being generated ahead of the penalty awarded to Switzerland in the 14th minute. The issue was quickly resolved.
“The workflow of the VAR was not affected by this issue and followed the normal procedure in checking the on-field decision. The lines used by the VAR to check the position of the relevant players did not show the attacking player to be in an offside position in either of the two situations immediately before the penalty decision.”
Brazil survive scare as Casemiro hooked
Brazil maintained their streak of never losing an opening World Cup match since 1934, courtesy of a stunning strike from Vinicius Jr.
But Carlo Ancelotti will have Real Madrid to thank for rescuing their reputation against Africa Cup of Nations champions Morocco. The Lions de l’Atlas controlled the opening period against the tournament record holders and claimed their well-earned opener through Ismael Saibari.
Brahim Diaz sliced through Brazil’s defence with a through ball before the PSV Eindhoven forward chipped the ball over a helpless Alisson Becker.
Vinicius Jr skipped past Achraf Hakimi before drifting inward onto his favoured left foot and drilling home the leveller. The match ended 1-1 with Scotland’s slender victory over Haiti propelling them to the summit of the group.
However, it proved a particularly sobering evening for ex-Manchester United midfielder Casemiro, who despite an impressive last season at Old Trafford, was humiliated by being substituted at half-time.
Brazil’s engine room appeared ponderous and the 34-year-old was overwhelmed by Morocco’s midfield, particularly 18-year-old Ayyoub Bouaddi, who drew widespread acclaim for his performance.
The United legend was pedestrian on the ball, succeeding in merely two of his eight ground contests, while his general contribution in the middle of the park hindered Ancelotti’s team. A first-half booking added to a troublesome outing in New York and the former Real Madrid man was withdrawn at the interval.
Fortunately for Brazil, Liverpool ace Alisson made some stellar late saves to spare their blushes.