Scotland thrash Bolivia 4-0 to sharpen World Cup preparations ahead of Haiti opener

Scotland rounded off their World Cup preparations with a commanding 4-0 victory over Bolivia at the Sports Illustrated Stadium in New Jersey, with Che Adams, Lawrence Shankland and Scott McTominay all on the scoresheet ahead of next Saturday’s opener against Haiti in Foxborough — the nation’s first World Cup fixture since 1998.

Shankland set the tone inside five minutes, heading high past goalkeeper Guillermo Viscarra after Andy Robertson and Ryan Christie combined down the left. The Torino striker then turned provider in the 20th minute, teeing up McTominay to rifle low past the unconvincing Viscarra from the edge of the box.

Adams extended the lead before the break with a brace that put the result beyond doubt. He first converted a Ben Gannon-Doak cross after good work from Aaron Hickey, then rattled home a loose ball from 16 yards after his initial shot was blocked by Bolivian defenders following a driving run from Gannon-Doak in the 44th minute.

Steve Clarke used the second half to rotate his squad, introducing John McGinn, Kieran Tierney, Anthony Ralston, George Hirst and Ross Stewart among others. Bolivia showed more enterprise after the interval but Scotland remained composed on the counter and never looked threatened.

The result follows a 4-1 win over Curacao at Hampden the previous weekend, giving Clarke’s side back-to-back convincing victories heading into the tournament. Scotland are ranked 43rd in the world, comfortably above Bolivia’s 76th, and the margin of victory reflected that gap.

Some perspective is warranted — Bolivia are not a stern test of World Cup credentials — but the goals, the structure and the depth shown through substitutions will encourage the Tartan Army as Scotland prepare to return to football’s biggest stage for the first time in 27 years.