Scotland warmed up for the World Cup with a 4-1 victory over 10-man Curacao at Hampden, with Lawrence Shankland scoring twice and 19-year-old Findlay Curtis netting his first international goal. The result provided positives ahead of the tournament, though defensive frailties were exposed when Tahith Chong opened the scoring with a fine individual strike.

Shankland made a compelling case to lead Scotland's attack in America after struggling for starting opportunities previously. Manager Steve Clarke praised his instinctive finishing, particularly the set-piece goal where 'the delivery wasn't great but he still managed to dig it out.' Curtis brought energy off the bench and showed the confidence that helped Kilmarnock avoid relegation on loan.

The win came at a cost as Billy Gilmour suffered a knee injury that rules him out of the World Cup squad. Clarke faces selection headaches in midfield despite having options like Lewis Ferguson and Ryan Christie available. Scotland's center-back pairing of Scott McKenna and John Souttar struggled against pace, raising concerns before facing Morocco and Brazil.

Curacao coach Dick Advocaat warned that Haiti poses a different threat despite Scotland's comfortable win. He noted Haiti had '20 attacks and no goals' in their previous meeting, suggesting the group stage opener won't be straightforward regardless of the recent result.