Highly anticipated for the opening match of the 2024 European Championship at home, Germany did not disappoint. In Munich, the Germans gave an overwhelmed Scotland (5-1) no chance. The Nationalmannschaft is off to an ideal start in Group A.
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That’s what we call a great debut. On paper, Scotland did not represent a great danger to a nation like Germany, especially on German soil. But with the recent poor performances of the quadruple world champions during major competitions, we had to enter this Euro 2024 home. Mission accomplished for Julian Nagelsmann and his men.
In a well-stocked Allianz-Arena in Munich, the Scottish supporters who came in large numbers quickly lowered their voices in the face of the German performance. It only took a few minutes for Die Mannschaft to bring down the Tartan Army, nickname of the Scottish national team.
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Wirtz and Musiala delight
Author of a splendid season with Bayer Leverkusen, Florian Wirtz opened the scoring with a strike from the edge of the penalty area. Served by Joshua Kimmich, the winger took the flat foot without control and deceived goalkeeper Angus Gunn (10th) for the first time. Scotland, stifled from the kick-off and deprived of the ball with barely 32% of possession in the first act, gave in again in the following minutes.
And after Wirtz, it was the other 21-year-old nugget in the selection, Jamal Musiala, who scored. In the penalty area, Kai Havertz fixed the defense and found his teammate. The Bavarian Munich player then opened up a shooting angle thanks to some nice control before catapulting the ball into the top corner (19th). Less than 20 minutes of play and already 2-0 thanks to their young talents, this is what we call an ideal start to the match for Germany.
A clear message to all of Europe
Dominant, the German selection put away all suspense before the break. Ryan Porteous, the Scottish central defender, was guilty of a very dangerous tackle on Ilkay Gündogan. The French referee, Clément Turpin, did not hesitate after reviewing the images: logical penalty and red card for the Scot. Kai Havertz, calmly, took charge of hitting the penalty to bring the score to 3-0 (45+1).
With this perfect scenario and against an opponent reduced to ten, coach Nagelsmann rotated his squad in the second half. Having entered the game for five minutes, Niclas Füllkrug took part in the party by adding to the score with a heavy strike into the top corner (68th). The only downside to this offensive festival: at the end of the match, Scotland saved the honor by narrowing the gap with success when Antonio Rüdiger inadvertently deceived his own goalkeeper Manuel Neuer with a header (88th). But we had to finish on a positive note, and Emre Can, with a precise curling shot at the foot of the post, added a goal and delighted the supporters one last time (90+3rd).
The message was sent across Europe after this demonstration. The Germans intend to play the leading roles at home. Hungary, their next opponent in Group A (June 19 in Stuttgart), has been warned.
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