They went into the game yearning for the win that would elevate them to the pantheon of Scottish football, the only players to carry their country into the knockout stage of a major men’s tournament after 11 failed attempts.
Steve Clarke’s players knew that immortality beckoned, that this was their opportunity to go one better than some of the world’s great players, the likes of Kenny Dalglish, Jimmy Johnstone, Graeme Souness, Denis Law and John Robertson, who had never got beyond a group stage.
It was their moment, their time, and they belted out Flower of Scotland in the MHP Arena before the game with the same visceral gusto as their fans, urging each other on into the heat of the battle to ‘rise now and be the nation again’.
But Scotland are to major tournaments what Sisyphus was to rock-rolling. For all eternity — or since the 1954 World Cup, at least — they roll that boulder up the hill and, before they get to the top, watch it roll back down again.
It is their long-established fate to be tortured slowly in the finals of European Championships and World Cups. They just find new ways of breaking their hearts.
Scotland fell to a 1-0 defeat against Hungary and in turn were knocked out of Euro 2024
The Tartan Army conceded in the 100th minute of the match after Kevin Csoboth’s strike
Angus Gunn and the plethora of Scotland defenders were unable to prevent the effort
They needed a performance of fire and fury to propel them forth and, after they struggled to make any impression in the first 80 minutes, they threw everything, their hearts and souls, into a helter-skelter, frenetic finish that brought them, once again, so, so close.
The torture continued until the bitter end. Scotland are accustomed to last-gasp calamity in this eternal quest — being knocked out of Euro 96 by Patrick Kluivert’s late consolation goal for the Netherlands against England foremost among them — and this was no different.
So Scott McTominay saw his late prod clip the top of the bar deep into the 10 minutes of added time that had followed a sickening collision involving Hungary’s Barnabas Varga. Then Grant Hanley’s shot was saved from 12 yards out and an appeal for what looked a clear penalty was waved away.
And then, after Scotland had desperately tried to get off a shot during a goalmouth scramble, Hungary broke away one last time, the ball was crossed into the middle and substitute Kevin Csoboth, who had hit a post a couple of minutes earlier, swept it into the net. Scotland’s players sank to their knees.
It was practically the last kick of the game and, even if the circumstances of Scotland’s exits find different ways of dashing their hopes, their song, sadly, remains the same. They finish bottom of Group A and have been eliminated from a 12th straight tournament without moving out of the group.
Hungary’s players celebrated in front of their fans and held aloft a shirt bearing Varga’s name to show that this win was for their striker, who was carried from the field wearing a neck brace but was communicating with medics in hospital last night. Hungary are likely, but not certain, to progress to the round of 16 as one of the best third-place finishers.
Hungary had gone into the game as favourites. Before the tournament, many had identified them as dark horses. In the build-up, they had gone 14 games unbeaten but that run ended in a warm-up game against Ireland and they lost their opening two matches in Germany, first against Switzerland and then against the hosts.
Scotland began as though they were going to defy the odds. They dominated possession and John McGinn, a cult hero for Scotland fans, looked sharper than he has at any stage in the tournament so far, turning sweetly away from his marker twice in quick succession and linking play cleverly.
Thousands of travelling Scotland fans saw their dreams crushed late on at the Stuttgart Arena
Hungary’s Barnabas Varga was involved in a nasty collision with Scotland’s Angus Gunn
Officials held up a sheet of cloth as the Hungary forward received medical treatment
But it was Hungary who created the first hint of an opportunity when the ball was moved quickly to Bendeguz Bolla 25 yards out. Bolla’s shot dipped and bounced just in front of Angus Gunn and the Scotland goalkeeper scooped it away with his right arm. If Scotland were fired up, Hungary competed robustly, too. Callum Styles, once of Bury and now of Barnsley, who qualified to play for Hungary through his grandmother, was cautioned for a lunging tackle on McGinn. You can take the boy out of Lancashire…
Hungary have a fine record with Styles in the team, though, and he soon won a free kick on the edge of the Scotland area when he went down under a challenge from Che Adams. Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai took it but it slammed into the Scotland wall. Szoboszlai found himself standing over another free kick in a similar position five minutes before the interval when Adams was penalised for a high boot after an acrobatic overhead kick.
Szoboszlai chose not to shoot this time. He drifted a chip to the back post and Willi Orban ran to it unmarked. He seemed certain to score but directed his header just too high and it clipped the top of the bar. He may also have been offside.
Hungary had a different kind of escape just before half time. Jack Hendry and Andras Schafer both went for a loose ball and Schafer lost his nerve at the last moment and planted his studs in Hendry’s leg and the referee showed him a yellow card. It might easily have been a red.
Scotland were criticised by some for not being more positive in that first half. For all their possession, they did not create a single chance or commit enough players forward. But Clarke is a patient man. He had made sure Scotland had not played themselves out of it.
Clarke’s side showed tentative signs of coming to life. McGinn surged down the right and broke through a couple of challenges before his cut-back towards Adams was cleared. Adams urged the Scotland supporters on to even greater heights.
The game was stopped for 10 minutes after a shuddering collision between Gunn and Varga as Scotland defended a free kick. Gunn rushed out to meet it and, as he punched the ball, he inadvertently crashed into Varga.
It was a sickening collision. Varga’s team-mates rushed to him and rolled him over into the recovery position. They frantically beckoned more medics to come to his aid.
Steve Clarke painted a dejected figure as he sat in the Scotland dugout after the result
Sheets were held up around the stricken player and Szoboszlai rushed to the touchline to help carry on a stretcher. Eventually Varga, who plays for Ferencvaros, was wheeled away on another stretcher, with the sheets still protecting him from view.
Maybe the injury to Varga changed the dynamic of the game slightly. Hungary certainly refused to feel sorry for themselves. If anything, they played as if they were fighting for a cause, for their team-mate.
Scotland thought they had a penalty 10 minutes from time when McTominay played a ball through to substitute Stuart Armstrong. Armstrong appeared to be pulled to the ground by Orban but the referee waved away the claims.
Scotland launched that late onslaught and McTominay hit the bar but it was left to Csoboth to apply the coup de grace that every Scot had feared was coming. It is the way it always is.