100th minute heartbreak as Hungary beat sorry Scots

Scotland's Euro 2024 adventure ended in heartbreak last night as a goal in the tenth minute of injury time sent the Tartan Army homewards.

Fans were devastated as a last-minute strike from Hungary ended their dream of the squad becoming the first from Scotland to reach the knockout stages of an international tournament.

Around 100,000 Scotland supporters had taken over the German city of Stuttgart ahead of the game, all with high hopes of watching Steve Clarke’s men make history.

But the party mood around the Stuttgart Arena turned to one of dejection after the agonising 1-0 defeat.

Captain Andy Robertson summed up the feelings of the nation moments after the final whistle when he said: ‘We gave it everything. It’ll take a long time to get over this one.’

He added: ‘Tonight and for a long time we have to get over this. It’s a tough one. It’s devastating. All the lads are absolutely gutted.

‘What I will say is thank you to the country. We felt everyone behind us, we knew the excitement back home...

‘Sorry for letting you down.’

Fans endured a nerve-wracking ordeal during the match as Scotland struggled to make their mark and were denied a penalty when Stuart Armstrong was brought down in the 78th minute.

The tense game also saw Scotland midfielder Scott McTominay pick up a yellow card, which would have ruled him out of the next match if the squad had progressed to the last 16.

The match also had to be stopped for several minutes after Hungarian striker Barnabas Varga appeared to be knocked unconscious, which led to him being carried off the pitch on a stretcher to applause from both sets of fans.

He was later confirmed to be in a stable condition in hospital.

The delay while he was being treated meant the addition of a nail-biting ten minutes of injury time, with Scotland fans left on the edge of their seats as both sides scrambled for a goal.

Scotland were roared on by the Tartan Army, but it was not to be and their hopes were dashed when Kevin Csoboth prompted scenes of wild celebration from the Hungary fans by scoring the late winner.

The defeat meant Scotland finished at the bottom of Group A with just a single point from the three games.

A 5-1 loss against Germany in the opening game of the tournament had left the team facing an uphill battle.

However, a 1-1 draw against Switzerland had raised hopes that Scotland could qualify as one of the best third-placed teams.

Disappointed fans trooped out of the stadium after the final whistle, with many planning to drown their sorrows before making the journey home from Germany.

Aimee Harrold-Almeida, a Disney worker from Orkney who now lives in Florida, said: ‘I am devastated. But I take pride in the fact that we were here at all.

‘Win, lose or draw, we are here to have a good time.’ Her husband Alex Almeida added: ‘This tournament will be boring without us. Germany will be sad to see us go. It’s not the team’s fault.’

Chris Thompson, a software developer from Edinburgh, said: ‘I am very disappointed. They simply had no belief in themselves.

‘We did not have the expectation we could do it.’

Calum MacDonald, a retail assistant manager from Elgin, added: ‘I’m disappointed but not terribly surprised.

‘The damage was done in the Germany game. The 5-1 thrashing made us scared against Switzerland and Hungary.’

Before the game, Scotland fans had soaked up the sun and

the atmosphere in Stuttgart, where bars and restaurants did a roaring trade.

Tens of thousands of supporters had flocked to the city ahead of the crunch tie against Hungary despite most of them being without tickets.

A dedicated Scots fan zone set up in the Stadtgarten to screen the match only had capacity for around 10,000 people and began filling up hours before kick-off.

Tartan Army pipers were given a rapturous welcome as they arrived at the park to get the pre-match party started.

The kilt-clad hordes proved a hit with locals as they were entertained by pipers and even posed for selfies with police officers.

Two police officers asked Dundee brothers John and Mike Blain if they could have their picture taken together.

A beaming woman officer was also filmed joining fans for an impromptu dance.

The mood among the crowds was optimistic as fans pinned their hopes on a Scotland win securing the team a place in the last 16 of the tournament and the history books.

Among the supporters cheering on Clarke’s men were Iain Meiklejohn, 48, and his 12-year-old son Aleks, from Edinburgh.

The pair gained a huge following on social media after Mr Meiklejohn shared an email he had sent to Aleks’s school to say they would be travelling to Germany so his son would not be in class until ‘whenever Scotland are eliminated from Euro 2024’. Mr Meiklejohn said: ‘There are literally hundreds of Scottish school kids over here enjoying the Euros.

‘The general feeling between the Scotland fans and the locals has been superb.’

Crowd control barriers were put in place at train stations to help cope with thousands of fans travelling in and out of the city.

Back in Scotland, a record TV audience was expected for the match, as around 2.5million people were predicted to tune in to watch the live BBC coverage.

The hospitality industry was due to get a welcome boost as around two million pints were sunk in pubs and another two million at home as fans tried to steady their nerves.

But bosses were braced for 100,000 hungover employees to pull sickies today as research by BrightHR suggested that absence rates would double.

BrightHR chief executive Alan Price said: ‘Scotland fans are preparing to nurse sore heads.

‘Businesses should brace themselves for questionable sick leave submissions.

‘And some staff will show up late, with more working from home, with footy fever the culprit.’

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