Ryan Christie expects to cry if Scotland qualify from group

Ryan Christie is determined to keep his emotions in check in the event Scotland get through to the knockout stages of the World Cup.

The 31-year-old Bournemouth player shed tears in a television interview in 2020 after the Scots won a penalty shootout in Serbia to qualify for the Euros, the first major tournament since 1998.

Christie helped Scotland qualify for the World Cup for the first time in 28 years and came off the bench in the 1-0 win over Haiti at the Boston stadium on Saturday night.

Three points was the perfect start to Group C for Scotland who are hoping to get out the group for the first time.

Ahead of the second fixture against Morocco in Foxborough on Friday, Christie was asked how he might react if Scotland were to achieve that coveted place in the knockout phase.

“You’re about the third person to ask me that question,” said the former Inverness and Celtic attacker.

“Probably equally as emotional, but this time I will be staying well away from the cameras.

“Listen, I get it. It would be an absolute dream come true.

“It’s a dream come true to even be playing in a World Cup and after that you have to kind of quickly adjust your targets and adjust your mindset so ensure that you’re not just happy to be here.

“You want to go and create more and keep pushing the bar and it is probably something that this squad has done so well and the manager as well has kind of kept the foot to the floor a little bit as well with the whole squad.

“So we are desperate to get out of a group and really create some history.”

Christie spoke of an “incredible journey” to get to the stage where he was playing in the World Cup but admits it was the furthest thing from his mind when he started out at home-city team Inverness.

“If I am honest it was non-existent,” he said.

“I don’t know if it sounds bad to say that because I obviously had aspirations of playing for Scotland when I was growing up.

“It was my kind of pinnacle, but you didn’t ever think further than that, probably because when I was growing up, I didn’t get to watch Scotland play in a major tournament.

“That just wasn’t really a possibility at that point.

“That’s probably why all those years down line, when we had that night in Serbia, it kind of hit home so much.

“It probably felt so out of reach for me and a few of the other boys so be doing this and to be here is incredible and now we have to try and take our opportunity in and show everybody how good a team we are.”