Euro 2024: Germany in five-star start

Euro 2024 hosts Germany started with a bang on Friday, defeating Scotland 5-1.

In the first half, goals came from Florian Wirtz, Jamal Musiala, and Kai Havertz, while Ryan Porteous of Scotland received a straight red card for a bad foul on Germany’s captain, Ilkay Gündogan, just before halftime.

Scotland managed a consolation goal in the 88th minute when Antonio Rüdiger accidentally scored an own goal. Ranked 16th in the world, Germany were clear favourites and dominated on the Munich pitch.

The soon-to-retire Toni Kroos started in midfield alongside Gündoğan and Robert Andrich, while Scotland’s front three consisted of Che Adams, Ryan Christie, and John McGinn.

Germany’s first goal came in the 10th minute, following excellent work by Joshua Kimmich, who set up Wirtz. The Bayer Leverkusen player’s shot was partially saved by Scotland’s goalkeeper Angus Gunn, but the ball still found the net.

Nine minutes later, Musiala added a second with a powerful finish inside the box. Despite a resilient Scottish performance, Porteous’ foul led to a penalty, converted by Havertz in first-half stoppage time.

With Porteous sent off and Scotland reduced to 10 men, they had to defend staunchly. Germany’s coach, Julian Nagelsmann, introduced Pascal Gross for the booked Andrich, and Niclas Füllkrug replaced Havertz in the 63rd minute.

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Five minutes later, Füllkrug scored Germany’s fourth with a stunning shot in the box. Though he had another goal disallowed for offside by VAR in the 76th minute, Germany sealed their victory with a fifth goal from substitute Emre Can, who curled a beautiful shot into the corner.

Despite Rudiger’s own goal, Germany’s emphatic performance marked an impressive start to their Euro 2024 campaign. The tournament continues on Saturday, with clashes between Spain and Croatia, Italy versus Albania, and Hungary taking on Switzerland.