Euro 2024 news: Resilient Scotland can still make history in Germany

From heartbreak in Munich, to hope in Cologne, Scotland have it all to play for heading into their final group stage game against Hungary.

A win in their next group game will see Steve Clarke’s troops qualify for a major tournament knockout stage for the first time in the Tartan Army’s history.

And here, Sports News Blitz’s Sam Condy assesses their performances so far - and what they need to do to go deep in the tournament in Germany.

Scotland vs Germany

The tournament's opening game was less than ideal for Clarke's men.

Coming into the game on a poor run of form, the Tartan Army hoped their boys in blue could shake off the cobwebs and return to the side seen in their phenomenal qualifying campaign.

From the start, the Scots looked behind the pace. Unable to deal with the German press, Scotland retreated into their own half with bouts of possession few and far between.

It only took 10 minutes for Germany to find an opener - Florian Writz was left unmarked on the edge of the 18-yard box, rifling into the bottom corner and giving the hosts an early lead.

Through the first half, things went from bad to worse for the Scots. Jamal Musiala - playing a pivotal role throughout the game – turned Calum McGregor inside the Scotland box, thundering the ball into the top corner for an early 2-0 lead in Munich.

The German pressure never dissipated, with it only looking like a matter of time until a third goal. Ryan Porteous put in a last-ditch challenge, receiving a sending-off, and allowing the Germans to increase the lead through a well-taken penalty.

The second half was much the same. A battered Scotland managed to find a consolation goal - resulting from Antonio Rudiger putting it in his own net - nevertheless, Germany found the net a further two times, with a final score reading 5-1 and the Tartan Army left broken and confused.

Scotland vs Switzerland

While the last few Scotland performances have been disappointing, they shone once again in Cologne on Wednesday evening.

Still not quite the team seen through the qualifiers, the squad looked promising during a tantalizing 90 minutes in Germany.

An early counterattack orchestrated by Scott Mctominay and Andy Robertson saw Manchester United star Mctominay drill a ball goalward, a deflection past the keeper securing an early lead for the Scots, resulting in bedlam among the Tartan Army in the stands.

In recent months the team have acted as the architects of their own downfall, and glimpses of that were once again shown.

Anthony Ralston saw a loose pass end up at the feet of Swiss legend Xherdan Shaqiri, who curled a screamer past Angus Gunn to level the score before half-time.

The game could have gone either way in the second half. Scotland were denied finger-biting chances from Grant Hanley and McTominay.

At the other end, The Tartan Army’s palms must have been sweating as Switzerland had multiple goals disallowed through marginal offside calls.

Youngster Billy Gilmour will surely have his place in the team sheet secured. The Brighton midfielder played with a maturity beyond his years, controlling the possession in midfield and subduing Switzerland's biggest threat in Granit Xhaka.

Scotland lost their second centre-back of the tournament. Porteous will return if Scotland get the job done against Hungary. However, injury-prone Kieran Tierney is out for the tournament after appearing to hyper-extend his leg in the second half.

A draw seemed the fair result - either team could have scored multiple goals and both teams deserved to come away with something.

Switzerland have secured their place in the last 16, while Scotland will prepare for Sunday, where they take on the Hungarians in a must-win game.

Scotland vs Hungary

It's all on the line for both teams in their final group-stage game. Scotland need a win to progress, while Hungary – currently pointless – will be hoping that three points is enough to secure them a place in the knockouts.

Hungary have looked dangerous at times but lacked a finishing touch throughout the opening two games.

Hungarian poster boy Dominik Szoboszlai has looked good through their opening two games, though he has been unable to carry the side through two tough match-ups.

This has all the hallmarks of a classic, with both sides faced with a go-big-or-go-home scenario.

Sports News Blitz Prediction: We predict both teams to play fast counter-attacking football, with both finding the net. We think Scotland will come away with a narrow 2-1 victory.

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