Scotland beat Haiti 1-0 to mark a winning return to the World Cup

Image
 14 Jun 2026 A scrappy finish by John McGinn allowed Scotland to mark their return to the World Cup after a 28-year absence with a nervy 1-0 win over outsiders Haiti. Aston Villa captain McGinn fired in with the aid of a deflection just before the half-hour mark at the Gillette Stadium just outside Boston, which was filled to its 64,000 capacity with a majority of Scottish fans. They have travelled to the United States in large numbers to follow Scotland’s first World Cup campaign since 1998 and were able to celebrate a rare victory at the tournament as they go top of Group C. It is Scotland’s first win at a World Cup since a 2-1 defeat of Sweden in Italy in 1990, and their first victory at any major tournament in 30 years, since Euro 96. Steve Clarke’s team are bidding to make history by reaching the knockout stages, something Scotland have never done at the World Cup. They had to hang on grimly at the end, but the victory puts them on course to get to the last 32, especially as t...

Scott McTominay given special Inter Milan assignment as Napoli look to retain top spot in San Siro showdown

Scott McTominay has reportedly been tasked with keeping an eye on Inter Milan playmaker Hakan Calhanoglu when Serie A leaders Napoli go to San Siro on Sunday.

The midfielder has quickly hit the ground running since swapping Manchester United for Naples in a £25million move last summer and has helped Antonio Conte's go a point clear of Inter at the league summit ahead of the weekend's huge fixture. Turkey star Calhanoglu has been one of the top performers in Italy in recent seasons and was crowned as Serie A 's midfielder of the year last season, scoring 13 times as Inter romped to the title with five games to spare.

The 30-year-old has been in fine form in the first four months of the new campaign, but according to Gazzetta dello Sport, Conte has a plan to stop the I Nerazzurri metronome from keeping his team ticking. They report that Conte intends to use Scotland star McTominay and tricky wide man Matteo Politano to try and negate Calhanoglu's threat.

They say that dynamic midfielder McTominay will be told to immediately close his opposite number down whenever he is in possession while Politano assists him and keeps one eye on marauding Inter wing-back Federico Dimarco. However, McTominay's compatriot and new club teammate Billy Gilmour may miss out on Sunday's clash despite his classy displays in recent weeks for Napoli.

The former Brighton and Chelsea man has filled in well in the absence of Slovakia star Lobotka, but with the latter now fit again boss Conte admits Gilmour might be dropped at San Siro against Inter - who he led to the Scudetto in 2021. Speaking to the media, he said: "Lobotka? We all know his value, that said we have to be good at trying to create something that can make up for a single absence.

"Gilmour has done very well in these games, you will never hear me complain because a player is missing. We have a squad and we have tried to do it as much as possible to make up for some problems or injuries.

"I have faith in the players. Lobotka started again in the middle of the week with us, we managed him but he is fine and has recovered. He is available, whether he can start from the 1st minute or not is to be assessed."

Popular posts from this blog

Scotland beat Haiti 1-0 to mark a winning return to the World Cup

Image
 14 Jun 2026 A scrappy finish by John McGinn allowed Scotland to mark their return to the World Cup after a 28-year absence with a nervy 1-0 win over outsiders Haiti. Aston Villa captain McGinn fired in with the aid of a deflection just before the half-hour mark at the Gillette Stadium just outside Boston, which was filled to its 64,000 capacity with a majority of Scottish fans. They have travelled to the United States in large numbers to follow Scotland’s first World Cup campaign since 1998 and were able to celebrate a rare victory at the tournament as they go top of Group C. It is Scotland’s first win at a World Cup since a 2-1 defeat of Sweden in Italy in 1990, and their first victory at any major tournament in 30 years, since Euro 96. Steve Clarke’s team are bidding to make history by reaching the knockout stages, something Scotland have never done at the World Cup. They had to hang on grimly at the end, but the victory puts them on course to get to the last 32, especially as t...
Read more

Italian media make their feelings clear on Scott McTominay with new nickname for Napoli midfielder after four months in Serie A

Image
The Italian media have had they say on Scott McTominay just four months after he joined Napoli from Manchester United. Despite protests from Erik ten Hag, McTominay left United to join Napoli over the summer for a fee of £25.4 million after the club decided to sell the academy player in order to comply with profit and sustainability rules. Since joining the Italian side, the Scotsman has established himself as a central part of the side, regularly receiving praise from his teammates and fans of the club. And now, four months into his tenure at the Serie A, the Italian media have made their feelings about the midfielder clear, branding him with a new nickname. According to The Daily Star, the Italian media have been greatly impressed with Napoli's great start to the 2024/25 season and have credited McTominay as a key factor in this. So much so, that they have taken to describing the 28-year-old as "new Napoli leader", as shown by how both players and staff swarmed him to c...
Read more

Bank of Scotland unveils limited edition £20 banknote featuring Scott McTominay

Image
The hum of the Glasgow crowd had barely faded when the designers at the Bank of Scotland went to work. It was November 2025. Hampden Park had just witnessed history. With a thunderous strike in the dying minutes against Denmark, Scott McTominay had done the unthinkable—he had secured Scotland's spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In the weeks that followed, the bank decided that a standard commemorative coin simply wouldn't do for a moment of this magnitude. They wanted something that captured the raw energy of Scottish football. They decided to print money. But it couldn't be just any money; it had to be impossibly rare. Only 100 notes would ever leave the printing presses. On May 25, 2026, the wraps were pulled off the design. The front of the crisp polymer £20 note looks familiar, bearing the traditional portrait of Sir Walter Scott. But flip it over, and the note transforms into a piece of modern Scottish folklore. Towering over the iconic Glenfinnan Viaduct is a vivid ill...
Read more