Scotland returned to the men's World Cup stage for the first time since 1998, and young Bournemouth winger Ben Gannon-Doak announced himself with a commanding first-half display against Haiti in Group C.

Gannon-Doak, who made history as the youngest Scot ever to appear in the English Premier League during his time with Celtic and Liverpool, has grown steadily into Steve Clarke's senior setup since his international debut in 2024. Clarke handed him the right-wing berth for Scotland's tournament opener — and the 21-year-old did not disappoint.

Scotland break the deadlock

The Scots started with energy and purpose. Lawrence Shankland had a shot blocked and Scott McTominay struck the post as Scotland pressed for an early goal without reward. Haiti grew into the game and exploited some loose Scottish passages of play, though they lacked the final touch to trouble Angus Gunn.

The breakthrough arrived in the 29th minute. Che Adams did the hard work in the build-up, drawing a close-range save from the Haiti goalkeeper before John McGinn's heavily deflected effort crept into the net. Scotland led — and deserved to.

Haiti shaded the remainder of the first half as Scotland grew wasteful in possession, with fussy officiating disrupting the flow of the contest. Even so, Haiti rarely threatened to level.

Pundits lavish praise on Gannon-Doak

It was Gannon-Doak's performance on the right flank, however, that drew the most enthusiastic reaction from the BBC commentary team.

Former Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart, who overlapped briefly with Gannon-Doak at the club, was full of admiration.