Driven by a strong director Toni Kross and an equally good captain Ilkay Gündogan, the DFB team set the course for victory early on. Florian Wirtz (10th) and Jamal Musiala (19th) had the home fans cheering early on in the sold-out Munich Football Arena with 66,000 spectators. Before the break, Kai Havertz (45th+1) increased the lead to 3-0 with a penalty. Ryan Porteous had previously been shown the red card for a foul on Gündogan in the penalty area.
The victory could have been even bigger. After the break, Gündogan and Co. were initially thwarted by their poor finishing or by Scotland goalkeeper Angus Gunn. The 4-0 was scored by “joker” Niclas Füllkrug, who scored five minutes after coming on as a substitute (68th minute), and the 5-1 by Emre Can, also a substitute (93rd minute). Shortly before, Antonio Rüdiger had unstoppably deflected a header into his own net for Scotland’s consolation goal (87th minute).
“Joker” Füllkrug scores to make it 4-0 (68th)
In the 68th minute, substitute Niclas Füllkrug scores 4-0 for Germany.
Colorful opening show with fireworks
Before the European Championship ball rolled for the first time, the 66,000 fans in the sold-out Munich Football Arena experienced a short but colorful show – staged by Carlos Navarrete-Patino, who has already worked for the International Olympic Committee, Formula 1 and Cirque du Soleil. Despite concerns from the responsible fire department, UEFA insisted on setting off pyrotechnic devices. There was also a dance performance and the official European Championship song “Fire” was heard, which Leony released together with the US band OneRepublic and the Italian trio Meduza.
APA/AFP/Tobias Schwarz The two European champions Dietz and Klinsmann brought the European Championship trophy into the stadium together with Heidi Beckenbauer.
Immediately before kick-off, Franz Beckenbauer, who died in January at the age of 78, was honored. His widow Heidi brought the European Championship trophy onto the pitch at the Munich Arena, accompanied by Jürgen Klinsmann and Bernard Dietz, the captains of Germany’s European Championship titles in 1996 and 1980. Beckenbauer was captain of Germany’s first European Championship triumph in 1972. UEFA said that all three previous German European Championship titles would therefore be honored at the opening ceremony.
Nagelsmann avoids surprises
At 9 p.m. sharp, the time had come: referee Clement Turpin from France blew the whistle for the first of 51 European Championship matches. The hosts’ starting eleven featured the eleven faces expected beforehand, and national coach Nagelsmann avoided any surprises. Despite his recent mistakes, Manuel Neuer was in goal. In front of him, defensive leader Rüdiger was supposed to cover the backs of his former Real Madrid teammate Kross and captain Gündogan. The spearhead was Arsenal striker Havertz. Nagelsmann thus sent the oldest DFB starting eleven (28.7 years) onto the field in 24 years at a tournament.
Scotland team manager Steve Clarke also did not dare to experiment at the start of the tournament. The pivotal midfield was formed by Scott McTominay of Manchester United, who had excelled in the European Championship qualifiers with seven goals in eight games, and captain Andy Robertson of Liverpool. The attack was formed by Che Adams of Southampton, flanked by Ryan Christie and John McGinn, who has played the most games (52) and scored the most goals (18) under Clarke since he took office in 2019.
Germany fights against negative streak
While Scotland felt comfortable in the role of underdog and wanted to enjoy every European Championship game together with the “Tartan Army”, their own fans, the German team wanted to unleash a wave of euphoria in the country in the first game at the home European Championship – similar to the 2006 World Cup – or – as DFB team boss Nagelsmann put it – ensure a “summer fairytale 2.0”. However, the DFB team had lost the last three opening games at tournaments: At the Covid European Championship 2021, there was a narrow 0-1 defeat against France (also in Munich). The defeats at the start of the 2018 World Cup (0-1 against Mexico) and 2022 (1-2 against Japan) initiated the elimination in the preliminary round.
The opening minutes gave us a taste of the script for the opening game. On the one hand, the Germans wanted to outplay the Scottish defensive wall with quick combination play and high tempo. On the other hand, the Scots wanted to hold their ground with commitment and fighting spirit and were waiting for quick counterattacks. However, the visitors were far too passive and stood far too far away from their opponents.
Wirtz scores early to make it 1-0
In the tenth minute, Florian Wirtz scores 1-0 for Germany.
Double blow brings relief
A precise shift of play from Kross to the right side to the completely unmarked Joshua Kimmich led to the opening goal for the European Championship hosts. The Bayern star moved inside and served Wirtz on the edge of the penalty area. The Leverkusen striker took the volley and hit the ball with the inside of his foot into the left corner, making it unstoppable for Scotland goalkeeper Gunn (10th minute). The early goal caused huge cheers in the stadium and noticeable relief, both among the fans and the players.
The Germans now wanted more. It took just nine minutes for the second goal. Gündogan tore the Scottish defence apart with a perfect through ball to Havertz. With a hook, the England legionnaire let his defender drive into space, passed to Musiala in the middle, and the 21-year-old fired the ball under the crossbar with a powerful shot to make it 2-0 (19th minute). After that, the Germans let the reins slip a little, but without losing control of the game.
Porteous receives red card for penalty foul
After a foul on Gündogan in the penalty area, Ryan Porteous receives a red card.
There was more excitement shortly before half-time. During an attempt to save a rebound, Ryan Porteous cleared DFB captain Gündogan with an outstretched leg just outside the six-yard box. The Barcelona star was hit right in the ankle and was lucky to be able to continue playing. After studying the TV images, referee Turpin had no choice but to show Porteous the red card and point to the penalty spot. Havertz did not miss the chance and converted to make it 3-0 (45.+1).
After the break, Gündogan and Co. were initially very careless with their chances. Gunn was able to defuse a powerful long-range shot from Rüdiger, who had also moved up, with his fist (51st minute), and an attempt from Musiala from a tight angle with his hand (59th minute). It was then over for Havertz and Wirtz, and Leroy Sane and Füllkrug came onto the field in place of the two attacking players. And the latter struck after just five minutes when he grabbed a ball on the edge of the penalty area and buried it in the top right corner (68th minute).
Rüdiger gives Scots consolation goal
After a long free kick, Rüdiger scored an unfortunate own goal (87′).
The fact that Rüdiger deflected a header from Scott McKenna after a free kick to make it 1-4 during one of Scotland’s few counterattacks was annoying for Germany, but bearable. The 39th-ranked player in the world did not even shoot at Neuer’s goal. This was especially true as substitute Can, in cooperation with Müller and two “jokers”, scored the 5-1 goal in injury time (93′).
Voices about the game:
Julian Nagelsmann (Germany team manager): “A big compliment to the team. I think everyone knows what the last opening games were like. It’s normal that there’s a bit of pressure on the boiler. We set the course in the first 20 minutes and the team did really, really well. I don’t think it makes much sense to slow down too much now. We have to take it into account that we know we’ve won a game. That’s necessary and was important, but we have to win at least one more and then of course many more if we want to achieve our goal.”
Steve Clarke (Scotland team manager): “Germany were outstanding and unfortunately we couldn’t keep up. The first half slipped away from us very quickly, we didn’t get a grip on the game. It’s about reacting, so we’ll see how they react. The aim is four points from the next two games.”
UEFA Euro 2024, Group A, first matchday
Freitag:
Germany – Scotland 5:1 (3:0)
Football Arena Munich, 66,000 spectators, SR Turpin (FRA)
Torfolge:
1:0 Wirtz (10.)
2:0 Musiala (19th)
3:0 Havertz (45.+1/penalty)
4:0 Füllkrug (68.)
4:1 Rüdiger (87./own goal)
5:1 Can (93.)
Deutschland: Neuer – Kimmich, Rüdiger, Tah, Mittelstädt – Andrich (46./Groß), Kroos (80. Can) – Musiala (74./Müller), Gündogan, Wirtz (63./Sane) – Havertz (63./Füllkrug)
Scotland: Gunn – Porteous, Hendry, Tierney (78./McKenna) – Ralston, McTominay, McGregor (67./Gilmour), Robertson – Christie (82./Shankland), Adams (46./Hanley), McGinn (67./McLean)
Red card: Porteous (44./foul play)
Yellow cards: Andrich, Tah and Ralston
