Attendance 15,933
It had been all of eight years since Scotland’s last
Friendly win at Hampden, a 1-0 success over Australia
courtesy of an Ally McCoist goal, and pre-match hopes
were high that this embarrassing run would be ended
against a side even rated even lower in the FIFA
rankings.
Not so however – for the home side were in the end
comprehensively outplayed by a side that was certainly
accomplished, but scarcely of the class of the great
Magyar side that triumphed 4-2 in Mount Florida all of
half-a-century ago – the team of Puskas, Hidgekuti,
and Czibor.
There was a paltry attendance of just 15,933 inside
Hampden to watch a Scotland side containing four
ex-Rangers, namely Steven Pressley, Barry Ferguson,
Darren Fletcher and Kenny Miller, but it was Nigel
Quashie who tested goalkeeper Gabor Kiraly with a
22-yard shot in five minutes.
Five minutes later Quashie’s free-kick fell to Andy
Webster whose volley was held by Kiraly.
That early flutter had failed to secure the
breakthrough for the Scots, and as the visitors began
to find their bearings it was clear that the game
would be no stroll for the home side. On the half-hour
substitute Peter Kovacs completely missed his header
from a Csaba Feher cross with the goal at his mercy.
Quashie was a constant thorn in the side of the
Hungarian defence, his solo run in 36 minutes ending
with a shot from the edge of the box that was just
over.
David Marshall was called into action sixty seconds
later when he held Peter Simek’s 25-yard drive.
Scotland had certainly had the better of the first 45,
yet on the stroke of half-time Hungary took the lead
from the penalty spot when Gary Caldwell was adjudged
to have hauled down Kovacs – Szabolcs Huszti netting
from the spot.
Steven Thompson replaced Caldwell for the restart, yet
within eight minutes the Scots were two down when
Huszti again netted with a stunning 25-yard left-foot
shot following a superb solo run.
Two minutes later Jamie McFadden almost reduced the
deficit when he found himself in the clear from a Gary
Holt cross, only to see his effort blocked after
switching from right to left foot.
The Magyars were now well on top, a Kovacs header from
Simek’s cross inching just wide in 58 minutes, then on
the hour Zoltan Gera’s overhead kick from Laszlo
Bodner’s cross was touched over by Marshall.
Scotland were being ripped apart by a technically
superior side, and it was now all too clear that this
was yet another shambles of a performance from Berti
Vogts’ side.
The arena resounded to the sound of booing as the
Hungarians sliced their opponents wide open time and
time again – and when the inevitable third goal
arrived in 72 minutes it was the signal for many
spectators to head for the exits. Simek it was who
created it – his cross being met by Pressley whose
attempted clearance cannoned off Marshall into the
net.
Scotland never gave up the chase – Fletcher coming
close with a curling eighteen-yarder that was turned
over by Kiraly, then substitute Stevie Crawford missed
an outstanding chance in 82 minutes when he fired over
after Pressley’s downward header from a Holt cross had
found him.
The Hungarians looked far more likely to add to their
score in the dying minutes however, and when the final
whistle sounded on yet another humiliating defeat to a
crescendo of booing, Scotland had suffered their
heaviest defeat at Hampden for more than thirty years
– a 0-5 hammering at the hands of England in 1973, to
be precise.
Berti Vogts afterwards lamented:
“We need more preparation. We need better
organisation. We need more practise – we could not
train yesterday because of the weather.”
Rain in Scotland – whatever next?
Time to go, Berti.
SCOTLAND Marshall; Holt, Naysmith; Webster, Pressley,
Ferguson (Severin 70); Fletcher (Pearson 73), G.
Caldwell (Thompson 45), Miller (Crawford 57),
McFadden, Quashie
UNUSED SUBS Gallacher, McNamee, Anderson, Grady,
Gordon
HUNGARY Kiraly; Bodnar, Huszti (Bodor 85); Juhasz
(Gyepes 82), Stark, Toth; Molnar, Feher (Rosa 63),
Torghelle (Kovacs 24), Gera (Leandro 75), Simek
UNUSED SUB Babos
REFEREE Laurent Duhamel (France)