The Hungary head coach, Marco Rossi, has called for officials to be “consistent” during the Group A clash with Scotland, as the fallout from his team’s loss to Germany on Wednesday continues.
Rossi remains adamant Hungary should have been awarded a free-kick in the lead-up to Germany’s opening goal in the tournament hosts’ 2-0 win. He was asked what he expected from Facundo Tello, the Argentinian referee, and referenced what he believes is the favouring of larger nations at the Euros.
“I expect what I have always expected from all match officials: that they are consistent from the first minute to the last,” the Italian said. “Unfortunately the Dutch referee didn’t do that in our match against Germany. That’s it.
“I am not looking for excuses. If they had blown for what I thought was a blatant foul before the first goal, Germany would probably still have won because they scored another goal in the second half. That’s not the point here. The point is a team’s ability in a tournament like this, specifically when you have VAR, a team’s prestige shouldn’t come into it. Us or Georgia need to be protected the same way Germany, England or Italy are.”
In what looks a mouth-watering fixture in Stuttgart, Hungary know a win, which would take them to three points, could carry them into the last 16. A Scotland victory, which would give them four points, would almost certainly be enough for knockout qualification for the first time.
“Zero points from two matches, there is no alternative for us other than a win if we want to progress,” Rossi said. “We know this is a decisive game for us and them. The pressure is equally on us and Scotland. We have not been lucky in the big moments so far. All of the big moments have gone against us. I am talking about a number of things.”
Rossi expects Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai to be fit despite his captain training separately on Saturday. “There is no real concern over him at this stage,” Rossi said. “It was a very long [domestic] campaign for him in particular so what matters now is rest and recovery.”
Scotland’s aim is to right the wrongs of 2021. Three years ago, Steve Clarke’s team entered the final Euros group stage match against Croatia in an identical position. Croatia eased to victory at Hampden Park.
“They have a hell of a lot more experience,” Clarke said of his players. “We said that if we can … qualify more regularly for these tournaments you understand what you are doing. I think we have done a lot of things right this time that maybe we didn’t get quite right the last time.
“Hopefully when we get to the last game the proof of the pudding will be in the eating. That’s what we are after.”
John McGinn, the Scotland midfielder, senses other nations do not fancy Scotland’s prospects. “It’s great that we have players who’ve been involved in high-pressure matches, but we’re not feeling pressure,” McGinn said. “We feel anticipation about being that team who changes things for Scottish football. I don’t think a lot of people across Europe think we can do it, so we want to be the ones who do.”
