Simple, effective, powerful, brutal.That’s the shortest explanation of Julian Nagelsmann’s Germany, which dismantled Scotland 5-1 (3-0) in the opening game of the European Championship on Friday night in Munich.The hosts took no prisoners against the pale, modest rival, who stood no chance in this one-sided match.An opening match to remember for Germany 🇩🇪#EURO2024 | #GERSCO pic.twitter.com/luXAFwUS1E— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) June 14, 2024 Straight from the kick-off, Die Mannschaft dominated the tie, finding the back of the net three times before the half-time break. Florian Wirtz’s chance within the opening 60 seconds showed us what kind of spectacle we were about to witness tonight, and it didn’t change one bit in the 89 minutes that followed.Ruthless and offensively oriented, the hosts were eager to clear things up immediately. And they did it. A perfect three-piece action saw impeccable Kroos launching a stunning pass to the other side for Kimmich, with the latter crossing it superbly for dashing Wirtz, and this time he made no mistakes, 1-0.That was the moment the game was over, as Scotland could not fight back, not if their lives depended on it. Soon, the lead was doubled as Musiala nailed it under the crossbar for another celebration inside the opening 20 minutes.Special.#EURO2024 | #GERSCO pic.twitter.com/VGEHtxQTHL— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) June 14, 2024 There was no way back for the Scotts from this abyss, which suffocated them entirely in the dying seconds of the first half as defender Porteous was rightfully sent off for a horrendous tackle on Gundogan inside the penalty area. Havertz headed it home from the spot, and it was 3-0 for Germany against ten-man Scotland as the teams were heading to changing rooms at half-time.In the second half, the winners scored another two goals as Nagelsmann opted for more than decent substitutes: Sane, Fullkrug, and veteran Muller. Sensational Toni Kroos left the pitch around the 80-minute mark after making 99% of accurate passes (101/102), which is probably one of the best pieces of individual stats in the history of the European Championships.🪄 Toni Kroos vs Scotland 🏴Touches – 108Passes Attempted – 102Passes Completed – 101Final Third Passes – 35This man is RETIRING?! #Euro2024 pic.twitter.com/nmWVcbE8Gw— Project Football (@ProjectFootball) June 14, 2024 Fullkrug thumped the ball into the back of the net to make it 4-0 and even netted a brace a bit later, but it was rightfully after a VAR review due to an offside.On the other hand, Rudiger scored an excellent header, only in his own net, so instead of 5-0, the match scoresheet was showing 4-1 for the Germans, before Emre Can (who got a late call up following Pavlovic’s illness) put the cherry on the top of this statement victory at the start of the tournament.EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP – GROUP STAGEFridayGermany – Scotland 5-1 (3-0)/Wirtz 10, Musiala 19, Havertz 45+1, Fullkrug 68, Can 90+3 – Rudiger 87 og/Saturday16.00: (3.20) Hungary (3.30) Switzerland (2.30)19.00: (1.90) Spain (3.50) Croatia (4.20)22.00: (1.42) Italy (4.30) Albania (8.50)Sunday 16.00: (5.70) Poland (3.80) Netherlands (1.63)19.00: (5.00) Slovenia (3.50) Denmark (1.75)22.00: (7.50) Serbia (4.40) England (1.50)***odds are subject to change***
