Germany 5-1 Scotland: Hosts hit ground running in Munich

Germany hit the ground running in the opening game of EURO 2024 as Julian Nagelsmann's side overpowered ten-man Scotland in Munich.

Match in brief: Germany begin with a bang

Florian Wirtz, Leverkusen's talisman in their march to a maiden Bundesliga title last season, tested Scotland goalkeeper Angus Gunn inside the opening 60 seconds, only to be ruled offside from Antonio Rüdiger's pass. Wirtz was on the scoresheet less than ten minutes later, however, his first-time shot from Joshua Kimmich's ball finding the bottom corner via the inside of the post.

Spurred on by their vociferous supporters, Germany continued to pin Scotland pack and doubled their advantage midway through the first half. An incisive passing move ended with Kai Havertz picking out Musiala, who fashioned space inside a crowded penalty area before lashing the ball into the roof of the net. Things went from bad to worse for Steve Clarke's team shortly before the interval, when Ryan Porteous was dismissed for a foul on İlkay Gündoğan inside the area – and Havertz made no mistake from the resulting spot kick.

There was no let-up for Clarke's charges after the break. Leroy Sané and Maximilian Mittelstädt both went close to adding to Germany's lead, but substitute Niclas Füllkrug eventually made it 4-0 with a thumping strike after the ball fell kindly for the Dortmund striker on the edge of the box. Rüdiger inadvertently steered a header past Manuel Neuer to give Scotland a consolation, yet Emre Can put the icing on the cake for the hosts with a low finish in added time.

Vivo Player of the Match: Jamal Musiala (Germany)

"Musiala showed a positive attitude to the game as well as his quality. Movement, balance, energy and enthusiasm, with a great goal and some great take-ons as well."
UEFA Technical Observer panel

Philip Röber, Germany reporter

Superlatives tend to be overused these days, but I'm not sure Germany could have asked for a better first half to start their tournament. Not granting Scotland a single dangerous moment or chance, this performance offered a perfect platform to build on. The tournament wasn't won today but this was mission accomplished for the hosts, who gave their fans plenty to be excited about.

Alex O'Henley, Scotland reporter

A game that promised so much ended in a chastening defeat for Scotland, who are still looking for an opening-day victory at a European Championship finals. The match was over as a contest by half-time, with Germany three goals to the good and boasting a man advantage following Porteous's red card. Clarke now has a major job to lift his side before they face Switzerland in Cologne.

Florian Wirtz gives Germany an early lead in MunichUEFA via Getty Images

Reaction

Julian Nagelsmann, Germany coach: "I'd have accepted that [result] if someone had offered it to me before the game. The first 20 minutes were very good. Scotland showed us respect and probably showed us even more after we scored our first two goals. The first goal in particular was very well played. It wasn't easy to score because there were a lot of Scottish bodies in the way. The important thing is that we scored a lot of goals."

Jamal Musiala, Player of the Match: "We definitely felt some pressure before the game, but this is such a good feeling. The own goal at the end hurts a little bit; otherwise it was the perfect game."

İlkay Gündoğan, Germany midfielder: "We played with a high intensity from the start and had an incredibly good first half. It was just the start we needed. I had a good feeling before the game too, and thankfully that feeling was right. The goal we conceded was a good warning for us not to take our foot off the gas."

Steve Clarke, Scotland coach: "It's a difficult night. Obviously we didn’t play to our standard. I thought the German team were excellent. I feel as though we’ve let ourselves down. We're better than we showed tonight and hopefully we can show that in the next two games. We need four points from the next two games, and that's what we'll focus on."

Andy Robertson, Scotland defender: "We didn't put enough pressure on the ball and Toni Kroos pretty much dictated everything. His passing ability is probably the best in the world and when you allow a player like that on the ball and you don't get close to him, unfortunately he's going to pick out the right passes."

Ryan Christie, Scotland forward: "The most important thing is we pick ourselves up, go into the Switzerland game and try to get some positivity back. Germany are a world-class team. We'll learn from it and hopefully go into these next two games with a chance to get a positive result."

Key stats

• Germany are the first side to have two players aged 21 or younger score in the same game at a European Championship.
• The three-time winners scored three goals in the first half of a EURO match for the first time.
• Aged 21 years and 42 days, Wirtz is the youngest player to find the net for Germany at the tournament.
• Neuer made his 35th appearance at a World Cup or European Championship, surpassing Philipp Lahm's previous German record of 34.
• Andy Robertson captained Scotland for the 50th time, while Scott McTominay and Ryan Christie earned their 50th caps.
• Porteous is the first player to be sent off on his EURO debut since Austria's Aleksandar Dragović against Hungary in 2016.
• All three of Füllkrug's goals at international tournaments have come off the bench.
• Germany won their opening game of a European Championship for the eighth time; no other team has managed more than six.
• Scotland conceded five goals in a competitive match for the first time since 2003, when they were beaten 6-0 by the Netherlands in a EURO qualifier.

Line-ups

Germany: Neuer; Kimmich, Rüdiger, Tah, Mittelstädt; Andrich (Gross 46), Kroos (Can 80); Musiala (Müller 74), Gündoğan, Wirtz (Sané 63); Havertz (Füllkrug 63)

Scotland: Gunn; Hendry, Porteous, Tierney (McKenna 78); Ralston, McGregor (Gilmour 67), McTominay, Robertson; McGinn (McLean 67), Adams (Hanley 46), Christie (Shankland 82)

Next up

Germany vs Hungary – Wednesday 19 June, Stuttgart
Scotland vs Switzerland – Wednesday 19 June, Cologne