June 15, (THEWILL) – Germany made an emphatic statement to open their Euro 2024 campaign, thrashing 10-man Scotland 5-1 in Munich on Friday night. As the tournament hosts, the pressure was on Germany to start strongly and they did not disappoint in front of their home fans.
The rout began in the 10th minute when Florian Wirtz struck the opening goal. Jamal Musiala doubled Germany’s lead soon after with a thumping finish. Scotland’s night went from bad to worse before half-time as Ryan Porteous was sent off for a dangerous two-footed challenge on Ilkay Gundogan. Kai Havertz converted the resulting penalty to make it 3-0.
Any hope of a Scotland comeback was extinguished midway through the second half. Niclas Fuellkrug hammered in a fourth for Germany within minutes of coming on as a substitute. Although Antonio Rudiger’s own goal gave Scotland a consolation, Emre Can added a fifth in stoppage time to complete the scoring.
For Scotland, it was a disastrous start to just their second European Championship appearance. Steve Clarke’s side must regroup quickly with difficult Group A games to come against Switzerland and Hungary. In contrast, Germany served notice of their intent to challenge for a record fourth European title on home soil.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
