By James Cormack
Scotland endured a chastening start to their Euro 2024 campaign as they were battered 5-1 by hosts Germany on the opening night of the tournament.
Julian Nagelsmann's side were majestic in front of an adoring home crowd, as two of the country's poster boys for their exciting new dawn, Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala, starred. Scotland, on the contrary, were utterly dire and they were forced to play the second half with ten men following Ryan Porteous' dismissal just before the break.
The hosts refused to run up the score in the second half, though, even if there was joy for Niclas Fullkrug off the bench to bring the hosts' goal tally up to four. There was brief Scottish satisfaction in the form of an Antonio Rudiger own goal, but Emre Can's curling effort from distance ensured Germany notched the biggest opening night win in European Championship history.
Here's how social media reacted to Germany's emphatic victory.
There was an opening ceremony to endure before kick-off as Germany celebrated the beginning of the tournament in a colourful yet incredibly forgettable fashion. There were dancers, your favourite TikTok songs, and a waving overload to finish. At least it was short.
If only Andrea Bocelli was from Bavaria...
A touching Franz Beckenbauer tribute ensued before the teams strolled out to a cacophony of German and Scottish noise at the Munich Football Arena. The national anthems were belted out, and the stage very much set for opening night.
Scotland's start was spritely enough, but the hosts took little more than ten minutes to break the deadlock and score the first Euro 2024 goal as Wirtz, fresh off his stellar season with Bayer Leverkusen, swept home Joshua Kimmich's cross.
You feared the worst for the Tartan Army thereafter, with Steve Clarke's side succumbing to relentless German control. The hosts waited for their moments to pounce, and within a blink an eye, Germany raced into a 2-0 lead after Ilkay Gundogan found space in behind Scotland's midfield. Musiala eventually crashed his effort home having been teed up by Kai Havertz.
The signs remained ominous for Scotland, who were simply overwhelmed by a Julian Nagelsmann's dynamic and vertical Mannschaft. Their defensive set-up - devoid of intensity in advanced areas with a high line and a gaping void between defence and midfield - was feasted upon by the relentless hosts.
Then, just before the break, things went from bad to worse for Scotland. Germany earlier had a penalty overturned following VAR intervention, but the Scots had no such fortune on this occasion and Ryan Porteous was subsequently dismissed for his ugly lunge on Gundogan.
Kai Havertz was cool from 12 yards and Germany took a 3-0 lead into the break.
With the bookies giving Piers Morgan a greater chance of being named the next James Bond than Scotland of mounting a comeback on Friday night, we were never going to be in for a thrilling second half.
But hey, at least Grant Hanley got a run out to provide some more defensive stability.
Their overwhelming supremacy and man advantage meant Germany had a chance of enjoying a record-breaking victory on opening night, with Spain's 5-0 win over Slovakia being the greatest margin of victory in Euros history.
Die Mannschaft scored two wonderfully worked goals in the opening period, but their fourth was the best of the night. Musiala was once again influential, as was Gundogan's box-crashing, but it was substitute Niclas Fullkrug who delivered the crushing blow, thundering home his effort from the edge of the area.
It'd been a miserable night for Scotland, but the Tartan Army did get a moment to cheer out of the blue in the closing stages as Antonio Rudiger deflected Scott McKenna's header beyond Manuel Neuer, who didn't have an effort to deal with from a Scottish head or boot all night.
"You're not singing anymore!" ironically rang out in sections of the Allianz. Good stuff. However, the nigh concluded with more German celebrations as Emre Can added a fifth with the last kick of the game.
"Stop, stop! They're already dead!"
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This article was originally published on 90min.com as X reacts as Germany batter Scotland in Euro 2024 opener.
