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Let’s rock! Germany’s players were clearly paying close and diligent attention to the signing of Julian Nagelsmann at his pre-tournament press conference.
At the Munich Football Arena, the home team started Euro 2024 with a kind of pompous burst of energy, a first-half performance that produced three goals, a red card for Ryan Porteous and a testament to how well Nagelsmann has rebalanced this talented German side.
The night ended in a 5-1 defeat for the stubborn Scotlandbut it was pretty busy in those 10 minutes of the first half with goals from Florian Wirtz and the impressive Jamal Musiala, plus a series of lovely flexing passes fueled by Toni Kroos’ aging rhythm section.
Scotland at least won the preliminary game, occupying Munich for the last two days, wallpapering the Aldstadt with a woolen check. They also almost had the last laugh, pulling one back through an Antonio Rudiger own goal. But Emre Can added a fifth in added time. Finally, the home players took time to interact with the crowd, enjoy the flag waves and horn blasts. It was a near perfect opening night.
The Munich Football Arena is a giant illuminated donut dumped in the wooded outskirts of Munich. Hours before kick-off, its halls were jammed with heaving human flesh for a game that appeared to have acted as a kind of bat-signal for the global Scottish diaspora.
Germany was a bit cool before these Euros. As always, these kinds of occasions leave their haze of mild confusion over flags, emblems and optics. Exactly how many Germans do we want here? And is that good? In the end, it turned out to be a gloriously throat-filling occasion.
Before kick-off, the pitch was hidden beneath UEFA’s miraculous white vinyl flooring, while gleeful gnome-like figures of no discernible nationality wandered and jumped to create a sense of innocuous spectacle. The hymns were intense. It felt real, authentic, one of those occasions where the memories of the tournament’s early goals, the crowd’s first eruption, are etched in and never forgotten.
Steve Clarke left Billy Gilmour on the bench, bringing on Callum McGregor. Germany was as expected. Nagelsmann only recently switched to a 4-2-3-1, which has caused this team to start rushing through the gears. And they were on the scoresheet with 55 seconds to go, Angus Gunn blocking Wirtz’s shot from close range. He was ambushed. But it seemed like an instant. Wirtz’s direct, creative energy is key to how Germany hope to play.
Clarke has done an excellent job of organizing this Scotland team, exuding both gloom and quiet optimism in just the right measures. But he will be disappointed with the way his players allow Kroos to have his own portable pocket of space here.
It was Kroos who made the pass that set up the 10th-minute opener. It was a wonderful move by Germany and a really poor defensive moment for Scotland, who offered no resistance lulled by the flight of the ball as Kroos pressed his second howling diagonal to Joshua Kimmich on the right.
Kimmich was free to make an easy pass through the empty green channel at the edge of the Scottish area. Wirtz had time to essay a beautiful first-time shot that Gunn was able to take, but couldn’t hold it. It felt like a goal on a training ground, with cones for defenders, wonderful geometry, the ball traveling in a perfect zigzag in the Scottish net.
At this point, Kroos was leading the game at a leisurely pace, like a man in a hammock lazily completing a word search.
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It was 2-0 in the 19th minute, achieved with another fast-slow pass. Kroos poked the ball to Ilkay Gundogan, who spun and played the perfect pass to Wirtz. He played it back to Musiala, who skipped past McGregor and didn’t just shoot, he sent the ball into the top corner, free to choose exactly how to decorate the moment and set off a fun boom of celebration, the feeling of a crowd fully into the game, reading the goal before happened.
It has become more difficult for Scotland. Germany had a penalty moments later, awarded by Clement Turpin, then disallowed by VAR. But they got a real one in the 43rd minute, this time for a two-footed tackle on Porteous’ ankle on Gundogan, for which he was rightly shown a red card. Kai Havertz took the shot, sending Gunn the wrong way. A man down, 3-0 down, Scotland crept into the break in something of a daze.
Robert Andrich was out at half-time and Che Adams was replaced by Grant Hanley. The question at this point seemed to be: how cruel did Germany want to be?
The Euro requires a show, no dead air. Musiala went through his scales on the left. Wirtz drew a huge ovation, some of which was reserved for his substitute, while Germany were in full Füllkrug.
In the 68th minute, Niklas Fülkrug made it 4-0 after receiving a loose touch from Henley and driving the ball with thrilling power into the top corner. Scotland’s players followed gamely to the end. Switzerland is five days away. They will require a complete mental and physical reset before then.
It was a reminder of Germany’s talent, of Nagelsmann’s status as the most modern coach here. And a reminder to Scotland of the brutality of tournament football, along with its many glories.
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