CALLUM MCGREGOR says that Scotland were dealt a harsh lesson as they crashed out of the European Championships after defeat to Croatia at Hampden.

McGregor had dragged the Scots level in the first half to give them hope of reaching the knockout stages of a major tournament for the first time, but an outstanding goal from the peerless Luka Modric and a late third from Ivan Perisic killed off the national side’s chances of making history.

The Celtic midfielder admits his side were just outclassed on the night by the better team, but he has vowed that Scotland will heed the lessons and come back stronger.

“It’s been an amazing experience, every single one of us has learnt so much,” McGregor said.

“It was such a tough learning experience again tonight against some really top players, but it just gives you that hunger to try and get back here.

“We’ve got the World Cup [next year] as well and we want to make sure we’re back on that stage, it just makes us so hungry.

“The lads are shattered. We put so much energy into it. The fans were amazing again, so I want to thank them for their input as well.

“I think in the end we just lose to too much quality. You see the second goal, Modric with the outside of his foot puts it in the top corner.

“That’s what you’re up against at this level. It’s a tough lesson.”

Despite the defeat, McGregor was proud to finally break his duck for Scotland on the night he earned his 34th cap, even though it counted for little in the end.

“It’s always nice to score and to get my first goal for my country was a proud moment, but ultimately we’re disappointed we didn’t get the result we wanted,” he said.