It was Germany and Scotland that performed the opening act for Euro 2024 tonight. In a near perfect match for the home side, Julian Nagelmann’s men waltzed over Scotland with five goals against one.
With about 200,000 Scottish fans in Munich and less than a quarter of that in the Allianz Arena the Germans did not need much time to silence the Scottish fans. Germany caused the first danger in the opening minute. A high ball to Florian Wirtz provided the striker with a clean strike at goal. Angus Gunn kept the ball out. The offside flag got raised as well. It was the first warning sign for Scotland.
Germany controlled the possession in the opening stages. In the 10th minute the Germans pierced the Scottish defence via a switch of play. A pass to the incoming Florian Wirtz outside the Scottish box allowed the Leverkusen striker to get a powerful shot on target. Angus Gunn got a hand on it, but it was not enough to keep the ball out: 1-0.
Germany continued pressuring the Scottish defence with their passing game. In the second quarter it allowed Germany to pierce the Scottish defence once again. Havertz laid the ball back to Musiala inside the Scottish box. The talented German smashed the ball into the net. The Scottish goalie had no chance: 2-0.
Germany did not allow Scotland to get into the game. The British visitors failed to get more than three passes around or to find an answer to Germany’s relentless pressure. In the 24th minute Scotland narrowly escaped a penalty, after a foul was determined to be just outside the box. To the relief of Scotland the following free kick turned into an easy save for Angus Gunn.
Things went from bad to worse before half time for the Tartan Army. A last gap challenge by Portius on Gundogan caused a penalty. The Scottish defender received a deserved straight red card. Havertz grabbed the ball for the spot kick. The Arsenal striker didn’t flinch and smashed the ball through the middle, while Angus Gunn went into the wrong direction: 3-0.
The second half
Steve Clark’s ten remaining men faced the near impossible task of turning things around in the second 45 minutes. The Germans dominated the ball, with German possession ranging well above 70 percent throughout. Scotland were reduced to spectators that could merely watch and wait for the next German opportunity.
Scotland managed to keep several dangerous balls out, including a close range shot from Musiala and a blocked shot on target from Gundogan. But it proved impossible to keep the Germans at bay for long. In the 68th minute Gundogan flicked the ball to substitute Fullkrug. The German striker treated the home crowd to a thumping shot in the upper right hand corner, taking the goal difference to four.
Against the flow of play Scotland grabbed one back in the 86th minute. A free kick landed in front of Rudiger. The German defender failed to clear the ball and saw the ball fly into the German net. The own goal allowed the Scottish fans to cheer for the first time during the game.
In the last seconds of the game Germany added one more goal to the score sheet. After another combination of quick passes around the Scottish box midfielder Can shot the ball on target from some distance. The ball flew into the Scottish net for the fifth time. The final whistle blew at 5-1, with zero shots on target by Scotland.
On Wednesday Scotland will have another chance at grabbing their first points in Group A. The Tartan Army will travel to the RheinEnergieStadium in Cologne where they will play Switzerland at 8:00 PM.
We were simply outclassed in every way. Germans could pass the ball round with impunity. Scotland’s poor press, poor movement off the ball and poor forward decision making was there for all to see. As soon as a Scottish player got a sniff at the ball he got surrounded by three German players. When a German got the ball he could find ten different passing options. Not all is lost with two more games to go, but another lacklustre display like that will certainly mean another early Euro exit. Yes, they were the better team. But you have to show up and put up a fight.
I agree. The signs were on the wall against Gibraltar and Finland, in which Scotland created few clear cut chances and showed signs of defensive vulnerability as well. Against a top team like Germany you are going to get punished for that. It’s hard to see how Steve Clark can turn this around in the coming days. More pressure on the ball and better link up play between midfield and attack will probably be a good start.