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Scott McTominay is the first Manchester United player to be heading home from Euro 2024, despite a valiant effort before Scotland were eventually defeated 1-0 by Hungary in Stuttgart.
Kevin Csoboth cruelly ended the Scots’ hopes of going through from Group A when he scored on the counter-attack in the 100th minute.
Moments earlier, the Scots seemed the most likely victors as McTominay went close with a shot over the bar – although he may have been offside – and Grant Hanley had an effort saved. Steve Clarke’s side also had a strong shout for a penalty turned down when Stuart Armstrong went down in the area under a challenge by Willi Orban.
Hungary could now qualify for the last 16 as one of the best third-placed teams, behind Germany and Switzerland who drew 1-1 in Frankfurt.
Had Scotland gone through, McTominay would have missed their next game after picking up his second yellow card of the tournament.
McTominay goes close to making the headlines with this shot over the bar in injury time.
McTominay, playing high up the pitch as a central support to striker Che Adams, was on the receiving end of several fouls in a physical first half. Hungary were shown three yellow cards – for Willi Orban, Andras Schafer and their English-born midfielder Callum Styles – by the strict Argentinian referee Facundo Tello.
Orban had the only real chance of note before the interval, when the defender was picked out by Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai with an indirect free-kick to the far post. With only Scotland goalkeeper Angus Gunn to beat, Hungary’s no.6 could only direct his header over the bar.
Szoboszlai was also guilty of clearing the woodwork, with the final shot of the first period, in injury time.
Scotland were dealt a disciplinary blow early in the second half when McTominay received his harsh booking for a foul on Marton Dudai. Despite picking up a suspension, the Reds midfielder continued to give his all as his country chased an elusive breakthrough.
Clearcut opportunities were still scarce, with Adams shooting over at one end and Dardai looping a header onto the roof of the net at the other. But the tempo and tension continued to rise, even after the concerning break in play when Hungary striker Barnabas Varga appeared to collapse in the Scotland penalty area.
The no.19’s team-mates, some of them visibly upset, screened him from the TV cameras and crowd as he received treatment, in scenes that were briefly reminiscent of Christian Eriksen’s medical incident during the previous European Championship three years ago. Thankfully, it was reported after the game that Varga was in a stable condition in hospital in Stuttgart and we all wish him a speedy and full recovery.
The Reds midfielder reacts to the yellow card that would have ruled him out of the next round.
Having weathered a Hungarian storm, Scotland looked to be finishing the game strongly in the 10 minutes of injury time. McTominay beat a defender to a low right-wing cross as he attacked the near post but his effort on the slide flew over the bar – he may well have been relieved to see the offside flag go up.
Grant Hanley then curled a shot on target, saved by Peter Gulacsi, and it seemed the Scots would find a winner but then came the sucker punch. From defending a corner, Hungary broke up the field into a two-versus-two situation and made it count.
Csoboth fed Rolland Sallai on the right and then surged into the box to receive a pull-back and tuck away the decisive finish. It was an agonising end for Scotland; just when they seemed to be on the brink of winning 1-0 themselves, they were instead on the wrong end of that scoreline.
Commiserations to Scott and his team – and to former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who was watching from the stands with his fellow, passionate supporters.
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