The Tartan Army are on cloud nine after Scotland got our World Cup campaign off to a flier with a stunning victory over Haiti.
Around 5,000 ticketless supporters in Boston flooded into to the official fan zone to watch the match unfold on a huge screen at the city hall on Saturday night.
Many arrived early to catch a glimpse of our Group C rivals Brazil and Morocco as the pair faced off at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
But the attention quickly turned to the huge game at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough – and as the players took to the pitch, those watching broke into an emotional rendition of Flower of Scotland.
View 4 ImagesScotland fans erupt at the fan zone in Boston. (Image: Tony Nicoletti/Daily Record)
The fan zone erupted on 28 minutes when John McGinn’s deflected shot fired us into an early lead.
Fans embraced each other as beer was launched up into the air in a moment of pure relief.
That feeling didn’t last too long, though, and as Haiti began coming back into the game in the second half – many could hardly watch.
The nerves weren’t helped during the hydration break, as the many who had flooded towards the bar to find some short-term relief in the form of an ice cold beer were told the alcohol service had finished.
But as the clock ticked towards 90 minutes, supporters tried to help roar the team to finish line as fans chanted ‘We’ll be coming down the road’.
And when the full-time whistle finally went we had our second huge cheer of the night as the crucial three points were confirmed.
Fraser Yates, 48, who works in IT and is from Shieldhill, near Falkirk, said: “I’m delighted. This pretty much confirms qualification in the next round. Qualification through a group for the first time ever.
“It is surreal to be here. The amount of people that are in Scotland just now, it feels like most of the country has made the trip across. It’s been a great atmosphere, the whole city is buzzing.
“We applied for tickets a while ago and they got rejected, then we got emailed today to say we were in, which was brilliant.
“It’s the next best thing to going to the game.”
Alastair Stenhouse, who is 75, retired, and from Falkirk, said: “Everyone is delighted. It’s been so exciting watching the game here. We’ve all been singing on the way out.
“It’s been absolutely brilliant to be here. Boston has been amazing and seeing all the fans here has just been superb.
“It’s been really exciting.”
View 4 ImagesJubilant Scotland fans at the fan zone. (Image: Tony Nicoletti/Daily Record)
Scott McCunnie, a 35-year-old lorry driver, and his daughter Darrah, 13, from Glasgow, enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere from the fan zone.
Darrah said: “I’m actually greeting. This means so much to us. What an amazing night it has been.”
Scott added: “It’s been amazing to be here. I’m crying too. The first thing we did was make sure we could get tickets for the fan zone and it’s been absolutely brilliant.”
Building of the impressive fan zone was completed on Friday ahead of the host’s opening match against Paraguay.
The Scots enjoyed guzzling expense cans of beer ($12 a tin) as they took in the huge match.
Daniel McMillan, 31, from Kirkcudbright, and Chloe Murphy, 28, from Annan, now manage hotels in Canada.
Daniel said: “I’ll tell you what – my job is getting packed in … I’m staying for the knock-outs!
“It took us 42 hours to get here, three days of driving. We drove through three tornados – but we made it to Boston on Friday and it’s been amazing to be here to see Scotland.
“It has been surreal to be here and be surrounded by Scotland fans. We went to Germany and the best thing about the whole trip was being with the fans, everyone together.
The Tartan Army were joined by dozens of Haiti fans in the fan zone and after Scotland took an early lead in the match the two sets of supporters were seen dancing together during the half-time entertainment.
View 4 ImagesFans celebrating John McGinn’s goal. (Image: Tony Nicoletti/Daily Record)
Earlier in the day crazy scenes erupted in Boston as the Tartan Army party in the city centre ahead of kick-off. Hundreds of fans drank in the Union Street area with Scots spilling out of the many local boozers onto the street.
Supporters cheered “We’ve Got McGinn” and “No Scotland, No Party” while taking shade under trees to escape the blazing sunshine amid a heatwave in the city.
Some fans enjoyed kicking a football around, while others have been singing along to bagpipes. It was a sea of Scotland tops as far as the eye can see, as supporters draped in saltires soak up the atmosphere.
There were cheers as fans who had booked local school buses to the match were seen hanging out of windows singing, “Cheerio, cheerio, cheerio!”
Many of those without briefs for the big match then packed out the local pubs, while others headed to the nearby fan zone.
Sarah Richards, a nail technician from Aberdeen, was there with her husband Keith, and their kids Murray, 16, Alfie, 11, and Millie 6.
Sarah, 39, said: “I’ve been crying. What a result.
View 4 ImagesThe Tartan Army after Scotland’s 1-0 victory against Haiti. (Image: Tony Nicoletti/Daily Record)
“It’s been absolutely amazing to be in the fan zone. The atmosphere has been brilliant. We just wanted to be here with all the fans.
“It’s been a brilliant trip – roasting, but we’ve had a great time. The locals have been amazing. Everything has been great.
Aileen Mackenzie, 39, who works for Scottish Water and is from Larbert, was joined at the fan zone by her husband Alistair, a 50-year-old civil servant, and their kids Euan, 14, and Isla 18.
Alistair said: “It’s been a fantastic night. We can relax now and just enjoy the next two games.
“We didn’t think we’d get into the fan zone so it’s been really good to watch the game from here.
“We would have loved to be at the match but this is definitely the next best thing.
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