Gritty Scotland keep their dream of making history alive with the possibility of advancing to the knockout stages still in sight after outperforming Switzerland, reports IAN HERBERT.

By lunchtime, the Tartan Army had assembled on the steps of Cologne’s monumental cathedral, singing ‘No Scotland, No Party.’ The joke was that entering such a vast place to pray would be pointless, as it couldn’t hold the help Scotland needed.

As they headed towards Innenstadt and the stadium, the sun emerged, and well before kick-off, the supreme, infectious Scottish optimism was back. Even those too young to remember were emphatically reminded about the Boys of ’96.

The match kicked off with excitement and high speed. In the 13th minute, Scotland scored first after a quick counter-attack. Midfielder Scott McTominay, receiving a return pass from Callum McGregor, shot quickly with his left foot. The ball deflected off a Swiss player’s foot and flew into the net, leaving goalkeeper Yann Sommer helpless.

Switzerland, shocked by the early goal, pushed forward aggressively. In the 26th minute, defender Anthony Ralston made a fatal error by passing the ball straight to Xherdan Shaqiri. The veteran immediately fired a left-footed shot from outside the penalty area, creating a masterpiece that hit the roof of the Scottish net, leveling the score at 1-1.

In the following period, the match was tense and this continued into the second half. However, towards the end of the match, Switzerland increased the pressure to find the winning goal. They almost got it if Grant Hanley’s header wasn’t denied by the post.

In the end, Scotland drew a dramatic 1-1 with Switzerland. This result makes Switzerland unable to follow Germany into the 1/8 round of EURO 2024 . At this time, Switzerland is ranked 2nd with 4 points after 2 matches, and Scotland is ranked 3rd.

In the final match, Switzerland will meet Germany and Scotland will face Hungary. Both matches will take place at 2:00 a.m. on June 24.

The new formation made Hungary play more brightly than in the first leg, with Varga nearly scoring just 13 seconds in after a careless kick by Germany and a mistake by Kimmich in covering the ball. Both sides responded fiercely, with Havertz having a clear chance in the 11th minute, but his volley was saved by goalkeeper Gulacsi.

However, Hungary’s lapse in attention led to their conceding a goal. In the 22nd minute, Orban blocked Musiala’s shot towards Gundogan but then fell down. The Hungarian defenders thought Orban had been fouled, but Gundogan seized the ball and passed it to Musiala, who opened the scoring. Hungary fought back, and in the 26th minute, Szoboszlai’s free kick was spectacularly saved by Neuer.

Recognizing Hungary’s ability to build up play, coach Nagelsmann pushed the German team forward to apply pressure and relieve the defense. Germany continuously pressed the field and earned many corners until the end of the first half. Just before halftime, they had a scare when Sallai headed the ball into Germany’s net from a free kick in the 45+2 minute, but Orban was flagged for a prior foul, leaving Germany with a 1-0 lead at the break.

In the second half, although Germany maintained pressure on the field, they still had tense moments, including Varga’s header over the bar in the 60th minute. The worries finally ended in the 67th minute when left-back Mittelstadt rose high to receive Musiala’s pass before crossing to Gundogan. Gundogan reacted quickly, sending the ball into the far corner to increase the score to 2-0 for the home team.

Germany’s relaxed playing mentality led to multiple attempts on goal, but goalkeeper Gulacsi denied opportunities from Kimmich and substitute Sane. In the 90th minute, Hungary nearly reduced the deficit to 1-2 after Neuer dropped the ball while catching a cross, but Kimmich saved the day by blocking Gazdag’s volley on the goal line. That was the final action of the match, and with a 2-0 victory, the German team secured a ticket to the round of 16.