HOW THE ALMATY HAVE FALLEN

Gemmill's boys wave goodbye to Euro play-off after Hungary answer prayer for a favour

SCOT GEMMILL dubbed it a "cruel" night for his boys after Hungary answered an SOS only to see their Euro hopes sink in Almaty.

Scotland's Under-21s wasted a huge chance of keeping their finals bid alive after Hungary had kept up their end of the bargain by stunning Belgium with a 1-0 win in Leuven.

It meant a victory in their final group game would see them overtake the Belgians and reach the play-offs for next year's showcase as runners-up.

But on a grim night the Scots became the latest side to fail to win in Kazakhstan.

Gemmill's boys rattled the woodwork three times as three preventable goals found their way past Lewis Budinauckas.

Lennon Miller who was outstanding had curled a superb 61st-minute equaliser home from just inside the box.

However, Miller and Co faced an uphill task when Dane Murray was sent off five minutes later and shipped a penalty in the process.