STUTTGART, Germany : Hungary came into Euro 2024 tipped as dark horses after going unbeaten in 2023 but their inexperience on the big stage showed as they missed out on qualifying for the last 16.
The players can hold their heads high after collecting three points from the group stage, one more than they did in the last Euros.
However, there will be a sense of missed opportunity given the mistakes they made in Germany. Marco Rossi's side recovered from two losses to secure a dramatic 100th-minute 1-0 win over Scotland in their final group game to keep alive their hopes of advancing.
They were in contention until the final Group F matches on Wednesday when Georgia beat Portugal 2-0, meaning they slipped to fifth in the third-place rankings due to a worse goal difference than Slovenia. "In hindsight, it was a bit of a disadvantage to us that Hungary were in the first group to finish their fixtures, so several other national teams already knew exactly what was required of them before their own last match," the Hungarian football federation said.OPENING DEFEATIn truth, Hungary were on the back foot from the 12th minute of their first match.