Scotland confident of ending tournament woes

Midfielder John McGinn said Scotland had “full belief” that they can end the country’s long history of disappointment at major tournaments by reaching the knockout stage for the first time.

Scotland will clash with Hungary in Stuttgart on Sunday in a do-or-die Group A finale at Euro 2024. The game is essentially a knockout tie, with both teams needing a win to have any chance of reaching the next stage.

Scotland have a slight advantage in that they have one point as they chase one of the four best-third place group finishes while Hungary are bottom of the standings having lost their first two matches.

“I don’t think we are feeling that pressure, we’re feeling kind of anticipation, what can be,” McGinn told reporters Saturday. “Can we be that team that changes things, takes the next step?

“Because the best thing in football is proving people wrong and I don’t think a lot of Europe think we can make that step, and we’ve got full belief in the dressing room that we can.”

With Scotland looking to get out of the group stage in a major tournament for the first time and having not won a European Championship game since 1996, manager Steve Clarke said he won’t need to make a rousing pre-game speech.

“I’ll try and give them something [of a speech],” Clarke said in his pre-match news conference. “But everybody knows how big a game it is, you can talk and talk and talk about it.

“We probably did a little bit too much the first game [a 5-1 defeat to Germany], so we’re trying to underplay this one, if you can ever underplay a game of this magnitude … and make sure that we’re well prepared and ready to go come kick-off.”

The atmosphere is sure to be raucous with Scotland roared on by their thousands-strong, kilt-wearing, bagpipe-playing Tartan Army.

“Listen, the whole tournament’s a sense of occasion to come here, and for Scotland the first major overseas tournament since 1998,” the 60-year-old Clarke said. “I was still playing. That’s a long time ago.”

McGinn said it would mean everything to win one for the supporters.

“The way they’ve conducted themselves … and I don’t know how they’ve managed to do it by all the drink they’ve been consuming,” McGinn said with a laugh. “[The supporters] have done their part of their journey and their job and it’s up to us to send them home with more unforgettable memories.”

Clarke is expecting a tough challenge from Hungary, who were solid in a 2-0 loss to group leaders Germany.

“We look at the record over the last few years, they’ve been building towards this, good team, well organised, good coach, good discipline without the ball, and a good threat with the ball,” he said.

Clarke will be without suspended defender Ryan Porteous and left back Kieran Tierney, who has left camp after injuring his hamstring in their 1-1 draw with Switzerland.

Information from Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.