Leeds United man suffers Euro 2024 heartbreak as manager laments controversial penalty decision

Liam Cooper’s Scotland were eliminated from Euro 2024 on Sunday night after losing 1-0 against Hungary in controversial circumstances.

Hungary clinched all three points in dramatic fashion in Stuttgart, with Kevin Csoboth finishing a swift counter-attack to win it in the 100th minute. But Scotland felt aggrieved not to have been awarded a penalty towards the end of the second-half when midfielder Stuart Armstrong found himself through on goal but hit the ground after colliding with Willi Orban.

A VAR review agreed with the on-field decision from referee, Facundo Tello, not to award a spot-kick and after conceding deep into added-time, the Tartan Army were consigned to finish bottom of Group A with just one point from their three games. Cooper did not play a single minute in Germany despite seeing two of his defensive teammates forced off through suspension or injury in previous matches.

"100 per cent penalty," Scotland manager Clarke said after the fatal defeat. "Somebody somewhere has to explain to me why that's not a penalty. It's 100 per cent a penalty. It's a one-goal game, we get the penalty, it could be a different night. I've got other words, but I'm not going to use them.

"It's a European competition, it might have been better to have a European referee. The VAR was European, maybe the referee didn't see the foul clearly on the pitch, but what's the point in VAR if they're not going to come in on something like that. It was a penalty."

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Scotland still harboured hope of qualifying for a first-ever major tournament knockout stage going into the final round of fixtures, despite taking just one point from games against Germany and Switzerland, with four of the six third-placed teams also progressing to the last-16. But they needed to beat Hungary to stand any chance and defeat leaves them winless and on the way home.

Cooper was all but guaranteed a place in the squad but spent his early summer watching on from the bench, even as defensive options dwindled. Watford’s Ryan Porteous received a two-game ban after being sent off for a dangerous tackle during the 5-1 opening defeat against hosts Germany, while Kieran Tierney suffered a hamstring injury during the 1-1 draw against Switzerland, ruling him out for the tournament.

Clarke opted to start Nottingham Forest’s Scott McKenna and Norwich City’s Grant Hanley alongside Jack Hendry in the back-three, with the need for goals keeping any defensive changes at the back of the mind. Cooper and his compatriots will now leave Germany and enjoy a short break before returning to their respective clubs. The 32-year-old remains in talks over the possibility of a new deal at Leeds but is currently due to leave as a free agent at the end of the month.

Leeds representation at Euro 2024 has now decreased, with only three Whites-owned players still involved. Max Wober’s Austria have been one of the more impressive teams so far - albeit the defender had endured a tough individual campaign, scoring an own goal against France - and take on the Netherlands for a top-two spot on Tuesday, while Rasmus Kristensen and Denmark will also progress into the last-16 if they beat Serbia on Tuesday.

Robin Koch is still technically a Leeds player until the end of this month and Germany’s 1-1 draw with Switzerland on Sunday evening secured their spot at the top of Group A.