4 Scotsmen walked down Bayerstrasse, close to the town's most important railway station, on Friday morning. They had been a outstanding function among the many hundreds of Tartan Military followers who flocked to Munich for the opening match of Euro 2024 towards Germany.
Everybody was carrying a tartan flat cap and kilt, however everybody was additionally carrying a Germany shirt. Three of them had been clean. One had the identify of Germany's glorious midfielder Florian Wirtz on it. It appeared like a beautiful gesture of friendship firstly of a significant match.
There was a riot of blue and white at Marienplatz. The U6 underground line in direction of the Allianz Area echoed with the identical tune. 'Now we have McGinn, tremendous John McGinn, I don't suppose you perceive, he's Unai Emery's man, he's higher than Zidane, now we have tremendous John McGinn.'
The way in which the group of touring supporters sang the Flower of Scotland tune within the stadium made the hairs on the again of the neck arise. Feelings had been intense. On the event of their first look in a significant match exterior the U.Ok. since 1998, every part was going nice for Scotland.
Then the soccer began.
Scotland overpower their rivals to register greatest opening win in European Championship historical past
Host nation Germany received their Euro 2024 off to a flying begin in Munich on Friday night time
Florian Wirtz scores first purpose of the match after success with Bayer Leverkusen
Then the romance wore off. Then the concept Scotland might pull off a shock got here throughout as pure delusion. Then the concept Julian Nagelsmann's facet could possibly be intimidated by the stress of enjoying in entrance of their very own followers felt like exaggerated wishful considering.
Scotland had been blown away from the primary minute. Germany blew them away. They outplayed them. They outplayed them. Scotland could not have been the most effective litmus take a look at, however the proof of this efficiency suggests Germany are favourites to win their first European Championship since Euro 96.
England's gamers may have watched the match from their base a few hundred miles to the north and will have felt a bit nervous. Germany's entrance 4 – Jamal Musiala, Ilkay Gundogan, Wirtz and Kai Havertz – performed with a sleek fluency that had just lately been past England.
Wirtz and Musiala had been not possible to play on this thrilling 5-1 win. Toni Kroos, who completed his membership profession with Actual Madrid by successful the Champions League, was very good. Antonio Rudiger and Jonathan Tah had been stable and authoritative within the centre of their defence. Not that they needed to do a lot.
Jamal Musiala was a standout presence and scored Germany's second purpose on a beautiful night
Ryan Porteous fouled captain Ilkay Gundogan, incomes a penalty.
The Scotland worldwide was additionally proven a straight purple card and despatched off.
Throughout a protracted break in play, Gundogan and Porteous had been stored on the sector
Kai Havertz scores the third within the forty sixth minute as Scotland lose in Munich
The Scots needed to lick their wounds. They had been lowered to 10 males simply earlier than half-time however by then they had been nicely crushed.
Their purpose right here is to attempt to qualify from the group for the primary time in historical past. They should regroup rapidly for his or her remaining video games towards Switzerland and Hungary.
Germany pounced on their guests from the beginning. Scotland received a few bodily challenges, however Germany appeared sharp and warranted from kick-off. There was no signal of the nervousness that usually comes with being hosts. They performed the sport with enjoyable.
Scotland held on for 10 minutes, by which era Kroos, enjoying his final match earlier than calling time on his illustrious profession, had begun to make use of the sport as his canvas, unleashing exact passes throughout the width of the pitch.
Quickly, these feints labored. Kroos lobbed one other cross to Joshua Kimmich on the proper and when Kimmich performed the ball throughout the realm, it reached Wirtz, who hit a robust low drive previous Angus Gunn on the proper.
Gunn caught the ball together with his proper hand and for a second it appeared like he had a stoppage earlier than the ball hit the put up. However the ball hit the put up and bounced throughout the road and the stadium erupted in pleasure and the Scots fell silent for the primary time.
Germany's efficiency was wonderful. Discuss operating into the bottom. It was like a Porsche going from zero to 60 in a matter of seconds. They began out sooner than Scotland and left them behind.
They had been discovering a lot area between Scotland's traces that it was embarrassing. Sadly, Scotland's play appeared very primitive in entrance of the Germans' magnificence. Too lots of Scotland's passes went straight to the white shirts.
Wirtz has lower than 20 caps, however has stepped up after a miraculous season within the Bundesliga
Robert Andrich earns his first reserving of the match for a powerful problem on Scott McTominay
Scotland didn’t carry out nicely of their first match as a result of weak point of Manchester United gamers
Nicolas Fulkrug scores the Germans' fourth purpose with an unimaginable flyer
Scotland received a cool comfort purpose when Antonio Rudiger headed the ball in direction of purpose
Emre Can was Germany's second substitute who scored on the proper time.
Angus Gunn tried however was disenchanted towards a exact shot from Kane – who had solely managed to attach from a German set-up on Thursday.
Germany scored once more after 19 minutes. Ilkay Gundogan and Kai Havertz mixed to cross fantastically to Musiala within the field and when Musiala deceived his marker by decreasing his shoulder and letting the ball come to him, he gave himself sufficient time to get a contact and smashed the ball into the roof of the online.
There was no respite for the Scots. The referee gave Germany a penalty for Kieran Tierney's journey on Musiala, however VAR transformed it to a free kick on the sting of the realm. Gunn gratefully grabbed Havertz's free kick.
However they might not stop Germany going forward on the stroke of half-time. Gunn made an outstanding save to cease a header, however within the ensuing scrum, Ryan Porteous made a double-footed deal with on Gundogan which twisted his ankle.
VAR reviewed the problem and the referee gave the inevitable penalty. Porteous was despatched off, Havertz slammed the kick into the again of the online and the sport was over. All that was left for Scotland was to attempt to save their dignity.
The hosts made an ideal begin of their first main match on residence soil since 2006
Andy Robertson performs a deserter in a tragic night for the Tartan Military in Germany
Followers had been disenchanted that their nationwide group recorded such a poor begin.
Scotland have just some days left to mud themselves off earlier than they subsequent face opponents Switzerland
Germany picked up some momentum after the break however discovered their fourth purpose halfway by the half. When the ball reached substitute Nicolas Fulkrug on the sting of the field, he stood up for them and fired an outstanding half-volley previous Gunn's left hand and into the online.
Germany turned the sport right into a celebration. Nagelsmann launched everybody's favourite German participant, Thomas Muller, onto the sector to loud cheers from the house followers. By now, it had turn into like a coaching train for the Germans as nicely. Kroos had made only one mistimed cross out of his 85 passes.
Scotland spoilt their excellent night time by scoring a comfort purpose three minutes from time when Rudiger inadvertently put Neuer behind. That gave the Scots an opportunity to make one thing of themselves, however Germany then made issues worse with a fifth purpose by substitute Emre Can in added time.
It’s more durable than ever to wager towards Germany reaching subsequent month's last in Berlin than it was when these 4 Scotsmen took to Bayerstrasse to pay tribute to the hosts.
