Scotland 0-1 Hungary: Csoboth sends Clarke´s side out of Euro 2024 after Vargas concern

Scotland were sent crashing out at Euro 2024 after Kevin Csoboth scored a stoppage-time winner to snatch a 1-0 win for Hungary on Sunday.

Csoboth was denied late on by the woodwork but then delivered the decisive strike with the latest goal ever scored in a European Championship match (excluding extra time), timed at 99 minutes and 32 seconds.

Victory moved Hungary up to three points in Group A and with a chance of knockout-stage progression, though there was cause for concern as Barnabas Vargas left the pitch on a stretcher in the second half.

Vargas collided with Scotland goalkeeper Angus Gunn in an aerial duel, with a lengthy stoppage following for a head injury as Hungary’s players and staff formed a wall to protect their striker inside the six-yard box.

That prolonged period of time was added on at the end, setting up the match-winning moment as Csoboth linked up with Roland Sallai before slotting his team-mate’s cross into bottom-left corner.

Csoboth’s late heroics saw Steve Clarke’s side drop to bottom of their pool, with just a point to their name as Scotland’s wait for a knockout-stage appearance at a major tournament stretched to 12 attempts.

Scotland’s showing hardly merited an unlikely progression, however, as their best chance came when Stuart Armstrong was felled by Willi Orban, only for the referee to wave away penalty appeals.

The VAR stuck with the on-field decision, much to Clarke’s frustration, before Scotland failed to heed the warning sign of Csoboth’s late strike against Gunn’s left-hand post and were subsequently punished.

FULL TIME: Scotland 0-1 Hungary.

The referee brings the match to an end in Stuttgart following the away side’s late goal.#EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/xjAKQrWxSj

— Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) June 23, 2024

Data Debrief: Familiar struggles for Scotland

This was Scotland’s 12th major tournament group stage and in 50% of those they have failed to win a single match – at the 1954, 1958, 1986 and 1998 World Cups and Euro 2020 and 2024.

Clarke can have no complaints either as Scotland had just 17 shots at this tournament – since the group stage was introduced in 1980, that is the joint fewest by a nation in a group stage, along with Northern Ireland at Euro 2016.

Meanwhile, Hungary ended a run of eight Euros matches without a win, registering their first victory since a 2-0 win over Austria at Euro 2016 – keeping Marco Rossi’s side in the hunt for the last 16.