Grant Hanley emerged from the away dressing-room at Boston Stadium after Scotland's first World Cup win in 36 years and needed a moment to steady himself. He had just watched his side edge Haiti 1-0, a result sealed by John McGinn's 28th-minute goal and protected through a performance Hanley described as tense and cagey.

At full-time, Hanley hugged his son Albie and daughter Lottie. That mattered to him as much as anything that happened on the pitch.

Why Hanley thought the game felt so tense

Hanley did not dress it up. Speaking to dailyrecord.co.uk, he said: "There was a lot of pressure on us. But when you play on the international stage, there's always pressure. And when you come into games like this where the expectation is to win, the pressure's a little bit greater."

That showed in the way Scotland played. Hanley said it was "maybe a bit tense and a bit cagey", and added that the team went "a bit longer" after the water break to make more space in midfield. He also had one of the game’s key defensive moments, making a phenomenal first-half block after Angus Gunn had spilled a shot close to goal.

The numbers fit the mood. Hanley was Scotland's highest-rated starter at 7.7, played the full 90 minutes, made two tackles and won 4 of 9 duels. This was not a polished night, but it was the sort of performance Scotland needed to get over the line.

What the result means for Scotland now

Hanley called it a must-win game, and he was blunt about the only thing that mattered. "All I know is that we had a must win game and we won it. That's the main thing," he said.

Scotland now move on to Morocco in Boston on Friday, with Brazil next on 24 June. Ben Gannon-Doak was also upbeat after the victory, saying the squad feels "very ready" for what comes next.

The bigger picture is still simple enough. Scotland have their first World Cup win in 36 years, and they got it in a game that felt tight from start to finish. Hanley left Boston with the result, the block, the family moment and a clean sheet to carry into the next two matches.

Compiled by the ClutchBrief Desk with AI assistance, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →