In the Euro 2024 opener, Scotland suffered a 5-1 defeat against Germany. Early goals from Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala put the hosts ahead. Scotland’s Ryan Porteous was shown a red card, leading to Kai Havertz converting a penalty. Niclas Fullkrug added a spectacular fourth goal, while Antonio Rudiger scored an own goal late in the game. Emre Can rounded off the scoring to make it five for Germany.
In their Euro 2024 opener, Scotland were outclassed by Germany, losing 5-1 in Munich after Ryan Porteous was sent off.
Steve Clarke’s motto was “respect everyone, fear no one” as Scotland aimed to advance past the group stage of a major tournament for the first time.
However, the team appeared shell-shocked when Angus Gunn failed to stop Florian Wirtz’s shot in the 10th minute at the Allianz Arena.
Germany needed just 10 minutes to break through Scotland’s defense, with Florian Wirtz finishing a sweeping team move from the edge of the area.
This clinical strike was no surprise to German fans, following Wirtz’s stellar season with Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen, where he tallied 18 goals and 20 assists across all competitions.
Eight minutes later, Germany doubled their lead. Ilkay Gündoğan produced a moment of brilliance, spinning on a dime and delivering a perfect through ball to Kai Havertz, who set up Jamal Musiala for a powerful finish.
Things seemed to go from bad to worse for Scotland when Germany was awarded a penalty. However, the Tartan Army breathed a sigh of relief as the video assistant referee (VAR) determined that Ryan Christie’s foul on Jamal Musiala occurred outside the box.
Scotland posed little attacking threat, with the first half resembling a training session for Germany, who passed the ball around effortlessly.
The match’s competitive edge disappeared just before halftime when Ryan Porteous received a straight red card for a reckless challenge on Ilkay Gündoğan. This also resulted in a penalty, which Kai Havertz coolly converted.
Despite a few defiant renditions of “Flower of Scotland” echoing around the Allianz Arena in the second half, substitute Niclas Füllkrug’s stunning top-corner finish quickly subdued the Scottish fans.
Scotland managed a consolation goal three minutes from time when substitute Scott McKenna headed Andy Robertson’s long free kick towards goal, deflecting off Antonio Rüdiger into the net.
However, Germany quickly responded as Emre Can, a late call-up after Aleksandar Pavlović’s injury, found the bottom corner from the edge of the area.
This emphatic victory is a significant boost for a team that entered its home tournament with modest expectations. Poor form and performances led to the sacking of head coach Hansi Flick in September 2023, with Julian Nagelsmann stepping in but struggling to find consistent results.
Germany, a nation with a storied history in major tournaments, having won four World Cups and three European Championships, has recently faced difficulties. The national team hadn’t won a knockout match at a major tournament in nearly eight years, with early exits in the last two World Cups and a round of 16 loss at Euro 2020.
However, after Germany’s performance on Friday, some fans might dream of another “Sommermärchen” or “summer fairytale” akin to 2006, when Germany reached the World Cup semifinals on home soil unexpectedly. That year, an early Philipp Lahm goal and a 4-2 victory over Costa Rica sparked a memorable summer. Perhaps Wirtz’s goal could be the catalyst for a similar fairytale this year.