Switzerland and Hungary serve Scotland notice of intent as Euros task becomes glaringly clear

Switzerland were the 3-1 victors at the RheinEnergieStadion but my goodness, they clung on for dear life at the end. Following 60 minutes of dominant football, Murat Yakin's stylish side appeared in complete control thanks to first-half strikes from Kwadwo Duah and Michel Aebischer. But Hungary don't lose very often under Marco Rossi and they rallied. Barnabas Vargas halved the deficit on 66 minutes and then they pressed for the leveller. Alas for them, it never came. Switzerland landed a third in stoppage time through Breel Embolo.

Still, the manner of their spirited fightback suggests the Magyars are going to play a part in this group. This was only their second defeat in 20 months. Hungary take on Germany on Wednesday, three hours before Scotland take their place in Cologne to face the Swiss, who now have a right good chance of reaching the last 16. A point is likely to be enough for them.

Some had identified this Switzerland team as the easiest prey given their uncharacteristically average qualification campaign, finishing second in their pool to Romania and only just seeing off the challenge from Israel behind them. Yet this is a team laced with experience, the dying embers of a Swiss golden generation. Granit Xhaka still pulls the strings in midfield. The defence has been the same for years, Man City's Manuel Akanji flanked by Ricardo Rodrigues and Fabian Schar. Xerdan Shaqiri and Breel Embolo were on the bench. And in Aebischer and Remo Freuler in midfield, the Bologna pairing were the matchwinning combination. Their work before Hungary's comeback was a solid enough foundation.

Scotland will face a tough task against this team. Yakin handed a start to 27-year-old striker Duah, who plays his football in Bulgaria with champions Ludogorets. Thirteen minutes in, he scored his first Swiss goal in his second cap, powering on to a lovely pass from Aebischer and sweeping the ball home. Switzerland completely dominated thereafter, and got a deserved second goal just before the break. Aebischer netted it, taking in a Freuler pass and curling delicately past Hungary's keeper Peter Gulacsi.

At this point, Hungary looked just as bad as Scotland did a day earlier. Error-strewn at the back and slack with their passing, their captain and talisman Dominik Szoboszlai looked well off his usual Liverpool pace. A response in the second half wasn't immediate but after Varga headed wide from close range on 63 minutes, it stirred them. Three minutes later Szoboszlai swung in a fine cross and Varga made no mistake. The real Hungary started to emerge.

Switzerland had to weather the storm. Hungary threw everything at them, including their hulking replacement forward Martin Adam, who looked like someone out of Braveheart. He barrelled around the pitch but this is the Euros, not the K-League, where he normally plays for Ulsan Hyundai. The Swiss' experience showed.

Embolo had the final say, which was nice given he's missed almost all of this season due to a serious knee injury, lifting the ball over Gulacsi after Hungary again performed a comedy act at the back. Rossi's men are Scotland's final opponents, and at least their defensive frailties should offer some optimism that goals can be squeezed out of this opponent.

Interestingly, both Switzerland and Hungary lined up a 3-4-2-1 formation. It is also perhaps the weapon of choice that Scotland will use when they come up against the pair next week. In the final third, both have dangerous players. Switzerland, in particular, can call upon strikers who know where the goal is. Scotland's midfield will need to get wired in quickly on Wednesday night to Xhaka and Freuler, who like to dictate the play. Hungary have a world-class midfielder in Szoboszlai, who became the youngster-ever captain at a European Championships at just 23-years-old. This was not his finest match, yet still assisted with a moment of quality.

This match emphasised that Scotland are rightly the fourth seeds in this group. They will need to raise their level significantly to take points from their next two matches. While neither the Swiss or the Hungarians look as good as the Germans, they are still handy, a reminder of the task facing Clarke and Co if they want to become the first Scottish team to make it out of the group of a major tournament.