Scotland have one last chance to draw level with England; McTominay believes he deserves a penalty kick, but the referee denies him one.
Sallai manages to sneak past several tackles and crosses but Ralston cannot get close enough for it to land safely – another opportunity missed for Scotland at what has been an unsuccessful tournament so far. In this article, we will discuss the main points of Scotland National Football Team vs Hungary National Football Team Stats.
Goals
First half action saw few chances, as Scotland were unable to break through Hungary’s robust defense. No side managed a shot on target during this period; with Szoboszlai’s free kick meeting Willi Orban who headed against the crossbar from close range.
Scotland made strides forward during the second half, showing greater confidence through Che Adams’ first shot of the match which sadly was off target. They then came close once more when Grant Hanley met a corner kick with an attempted header that narrowly cleared the bar.
Hungary began to increase their chances and threaten on the counter attack with quick passing, yet were unable to score until Csoboth struck in the final minute with his second goal of the match, breaking Scotland hearts with his late winner.
Roland Sallai sent in a low ball across the box that reached Csoboth unmarked; who then slotted his effort into the bottom corner of the net for Hungary’s first win of this tournament, giving them hope of qualifying as one of the three-best third-placed sides to progress to the knockout phase of competition.
Scotland suffered their 12th straight Euro tournament loss and sixth on the final day of group play – marking Steve Clarke as interim manager during this campaign. They will go out with no medals.
With two games remaining, Scotland needs to secure either a draw against Portugal and either a loss or draw against Switzerland in order to have any chance at reaching the last eight. They will require scoring four goals during these final two matches – no easy task given they have only scored nine times thus far in Germany – yet will remain determined to leave with pride as any victory against either Portugal or Switzerland would put them top of their pool and make history by reaching quarter-finals of a major tournament since 1998.
Scoring Chances
Scotland put up an admirable fight in their opening Euro 2024 game, but were ultimately defeated by Hungary despite their best efforts. Roland Sallai scored in the last minute to give Hungary their first lead of this tournament and advance them towards reaching the knockout rounds for the first time since 1996.
Scotland failed to capitalize on their early momentum, failing to take full advantage of opportunities presented. Che Adams came close with a shot that drifted wide before Hearts forward Jack Hendry blocked Che Adams‘ corner attempt.
Hendry becomes involved in another controversial incident after colliding with an opponent and earning himself a yellow card. Substitute Angus Gunn then has to save Mihaly Szoboszlai’s free kick, saving from which Gunn must save.
At an increasingly rapid pace, both sides were creating numerous chances. Scott McTominay had several excellent chances to shoot from long range but could not manage a direct shot on target; shortly thereafter he came close with a low drive from right edge of box that deflected just wide of goal.
In the final minute of normal time, both teams went all-out for victory in an explosive finish to the match. The Scots mounted an attack resulting in McGinn breaking free of two tackles down the right wing but his cross could not reach unmarked Sallai in the box.
As the final whistle sounds, Scotland players look on with mixed feelings of sorrow and regret as their efforts fall short of reaching the last 16 for only the second time since 2004. Their national side can now look forward to next match – an international friendly against Albania on Tuesday in Stuttgart; top scorers amongst this squad could include Hearts forward Lawrence Shankland or Rangers midfielder Callum McGregor both currently standing at around 250/1 to be awarded Golden Boot award.
Goalkeepers
Scotland have yet to reach the knockout-stage in any major tournament as they struggle to create or convert opportunities. They were punished by Csoboth’s outstanding strike that sealed an important win for Hungary that severely diminished Scotland’s hopes of progressing further in this tournament.
Angus Gunn was generally impressive for the Scots but faced an uphill struggle against an uncompromising Hungarian defence in the first half. Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech had his work cut out, with several low Martin Adam crosses being blocked out before an offside flag was raised following Dominik Szoboszlai’s low effort from Dominik Szoboszlai’s low effort.
Scotland began pressing forward in the second half, led by Scott McTominay’s corner kick that caused a melee in the box and Stuart Armstrong going down due to contact from Willi Orban but his claims for a penalty weren’t upheld by referee, while Roldan Sallai’s low shot was turned away.
Hungary gradually eased themselves back into the game and looked dangerous on the counter-attack, with Szoboszlai jinking past several tackles before firing over from outside of the area. Five minutes from time, Martin Adam put in a deep cross from the right wing which Jack Hendry was able to block.
Hungary had another opportunity to go ahead when Gunn tipped over Sallai’s close range volley, but instead the Hungarians pushed forward, leaving Kevin Csoboth plenty of space on the edge of the box to calmly slot past Gunn and score.
Scotland are left lamenting opportunities that were missed and must regroup for their final group match against Israel, hoping that improved performances may result in positive results against an Israeli side that must beat Sweden in order to advance. Click here to view Scotland versus Hungary head-to-head records: the Scots have won two out of nine meetings while Hungary won four of nine contests; both will want a win to keep EURO 2024 qualification alive when they meet at Stuttgart Groupama Arena on Thursday evening.
Defenders
Scots were under intense pressure to achieve a result here as only a win would preserve their chances of qualifying while a draw would spell early elimination. Although Hungary matched them evenly in the first half, visitors enjoyed more chances – particularly Dominik Szoboszlai’s free-kick that hit the bar – and Stuart Armstrong fell under Willi Orban pressure in the box, yet referee Paul Watson dismissed any penalty claims made by either party.
Scotland appeared destined for an exhausting night as they struggled to create any real threats, yet were considerably better after halftime. Still, Scotland were slow in getting shots on target and missed several chances until finally Roland Sallai managed a long-range effort from Angus Gunn and managed to score.
Late home side momentum saw them come close to pulling off an upset against Kevin Csoboth’s late winner but unfortunately their hopes of progressing through are over. Scotland have suffered their third group-stage exit at major tournament in a row and will not advance.
Scotland have suffered another blow with their horrific loss against France this weekend and they now await news regarding Barnabas Varga who was stretchered off during an intense collision involving Angus Gunn and Anthony Ralston.
At an otherwise subdued match, this was an unfortunate turn of events and we wish Hungarian striker a speedy recovery from his injuries. No player should experience something so dispiriting as being injured so severely in such a shocking manner, so we will await reports from medical teams about his condition – unfortunately it looks as though he may never return to playing and that could be devastating news for his hosts.
Also Read: Germany national football team vs scotland national football team timeline
