Gary Lineker left red-faced by comment before Euro 2024 as Scotland crash out

Gary Lineker and Micah Richards' pre-Euro 2024 prediction for Scotland was left in tatters following a gut-wrenching defeat to Hungary.

The Tartan Army endured a heartbreaking defeat in Sunday's (June 23) crunch clash, with Kevin Csoboth sliding home the winner deep into injury time. It consigned Scotland to a last-place finish in Group A and marked their departure from the tournament.

Elimination for Steve Clarke's side extended an unwarranted record for Scotland in major tournaments. They have now failed to make it out of the group stages in all 12 attempts reports the Mirror.

Nevertheless, ahead of the competition commencement in Germany, Match of the Day experts Lineker and Richards held hope for Scotland's progression when they anticipated a brighter fate on The Rest is Football podcast.

When queried about Scotland's chances, Richards commented: "In terms of qualifying they were really good, they go defensive when they need to [and] counter-attack when they need to. They've got some good individual players so I think it will be difficult for them to get out of the group but something tells me they've just got enough team spirit to maybe get out of that group."

Lineker chimed in agreement with his fellow host, stating: "I think Scotland will get through, I think it might be in third but that still counts as going through". Conversely, Alan Shearer predicted Switzerland to progress to the final stages, along with Germany.

Scotland's campaign in Germany is over with just a single point secured from three matches. The Scots have struggled in front of goal, managing to score only twice, one of which was an Antonio Rudiger own goal during their 5-1 thrashing by the hosts in the first match.

Hungary's victory puts them in a strong position to advance as one of the best third-placed teams on three points. However, their place in the next round remains on a knife edge.

The game itself was overshadowed by the distressing injury to Barnabas Varga. A lengthy delay in play ensued following a collision between Varga and Scotland goalkeeper Angus Gunn. The forward is reported to be stable as revealed by a statement from the Hungarian Football Federation.

It stated: "Barnabas Varga's condition is stable. The Ferencvaros player is currently in one of the hospitals in Stuttgart. We will inform you immediately if there is any news about his status."