Germany thumped Scotland 5-1 in the opening match of Euro 2024, as major tournament reality came crashing down on the nation.
An early blow hit the Tartan Army and head coach Steve Clarke, as Florian Wirtz netted low off the post and in, with just 10 minutes gone. If that wasn't troubling enough, Jamaal Musiala rifled home to leave a tough task looking borderline impossible.
Ryan Christie thought he had given a way a penalty to Germany just as the roof threatened to cave in, but VAR stepped in to rule a free-kick. VAR would step in again before the end of the half to judge Ryan Porteous guilty of a reckless tackle on Ilkay Gundogan, with Kai Havertz dispatching the penalty and the defender sent off.
Niclas Fullkrug scored a fourth and Antonio Rudiger’s own goal provided a consolation celebration for the Scotland fans inside the stadium. Emre Can’s finish rounded off German scoring, with Hungary playing Switzerland on Saturday in the other Group A on Saturday. The latter the opponent come next for Scotland on June 19th.
A roar in Kieran Tierney kicking the ball off Musiala for a goal-kick set the scene for how pumped up the Scotland players and Tartan Army were. The fans had drank the Munich bars dry, with this day marked in the calendar for a generation.
Euro 2020 was the nation's long-awaited return to tournament football but with this on foreign soil, it felt real this time. It was a party atmosphere and against a German side who haven't started tournaments brilliantly of late, a sense of opportunity was brewing.
The first 27 minutes were a brutal lesson in football at this level. First it was Wirtz, left free by the compact Scotland defence, and goalkeeper Angus Gunn could only push the ball onto the post en-route to goal. Then Musiala finished off a wonderful sweeping move to double their lead.
Christie's foul was initially deemed a penalty, with a third threatening to pave a route to demolition job penalty. Mercifully, VAR stepped in and a free-kick provided a light sigh of relief, as the party atmosphere soon turned a tad subdued as the task reality set in.
The wave after wave of attack was subsiding slightly but Scotland were spending zero time on the ball, still camped on the edge of their own box at 2-0 down. Dazed and on the ropes, Porteous’ lunge on Gundogan floored Scotland. VAR quickly ruled a penalty and a red card which Havertz dispatched, with all hope turning to this not getting seriously out of hand.
A wave of optimism had come partially down inside 45 minutes with a result in game one already out of reach. Wirtz should have had a fourth but blazed over in the second half but a thumping Fullkrug strike made sure they had it. Only the offside flag denied him a double.
Scott McKenna restored some joy for the nation, turning his header off an Andy Robertson into the path of Rudiger and beyond Manuel Neuer. It didn’t mean much overall though - certainly after Can’s low drive - and much improvement is needed for the remaining group games. Here’s how we rated the Scotland players in Munich.
1. Angus Gunn - 4/10
Will be gutted by the first goal, helpless at the second. Conceded 5. | SNS Group
2. Anthony Ralston - 4/10
Wirtz gave him all sorts of problems. Caught on his heels a bit for the first and again at the second. Will learn so much from this game but coming into having had limited minutes through playing second fiddle at Celtic for a season was always going to be tough. | SNS Group
3. Jack Hendry - 4/10
Part of a defence left scrambling. Far from the only one at sixes and sevens. | SNS Group
4. Ryan Porteous - 3/10
His game will be remembered for the red card. VAR was never overturning that and there aren't too many debates over whether it was a red or not. | SNS Group