Scotland’s Euro 2024 optimism was bludgeoned to a pulp by Germany in their Group A opener with Ryan Porteous seeing red before the interval in a 5-1 defeat.
Florian Wirtz opened the scoring for the hosts in the 10th minute with fellow attacker Jamal Musiala adding a second nine minutes later as Steve Clarke’s side were simply outclassed in the Munich Arena.
Defender Porteous was deservedly sent off just before the break for conceding a penalty with a reckless tackle, and Kai Havertz netted.
FULL TIME: Germany 5-1 Scotland.
The hosts win tonight’s opener in Munich.
Full focus now on Wednesday evening.#GERSCO | #EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/foF0kFfc7W
— Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) June 14, 2024
Substitute Niclas Fullkrug made it 4-0 in the 68th minute with a magnificent drive and then had a goal ruled offside as the 10-men in dark blue continued their struggle.
Germany defender Antonio Rudiger scored into his own net but that was cancelled out by substitute Emre Can to make it 5-1.
The beleaguered Scots face Switzerland in Cologne next week before taking on Hungary in Stuttgart. They have to quickly get this performance and result out of their heads while the Tartan Army will also have to regroup.
Tens of thousands of Scotland fans had flooded into Munich and they helped with the noise and colour inside the packed stadium.
Clarke opted for Anthony Ralston as right wing-back and a midfield of Scott McTominay, Callum McGregor, John McGinn and Ryan Christie, with playmaker Billy Gilmour perhaps unlucky to be on the bench.
Midfielder Toni Kroos had been tempted out of international retirement but Die Mannschaft boss Julian Nagelsmann had other class players such as Manuel Neuer, Rudiger, captain Ilkay Gundogan and Havertz, albeit it was their young guns who began the damage in the first half.
A spectacular opening ceremony, and two anthems boomed out loud, preceded a whirlwind start from the hosts.
Scotland goalkeeper Angus Gunn had to make a crucial save after a minute from 21-year-old Wirtz, although the offside flag went up.
However, the Scots were not so lucky when Wirtz took a pass from Joshua Kimmich at the edge of the box and fired in a low drive which Gunn touched on the post before it went in.
Germany’s domination of the ball continued and their next goal was well-worked, starting with a defence-splitting pass from Gundogan and when Havertz laid off the ball to Musiala, the 21-year-old took a set-up touch and fired the ball high past the helpless Gunn.
Scotland were being ripped apart.
In the 24th minute, when Musiala went down at the edge of the box under a challenge by Kieran Tierney and Christie, French referee Clement Turpin pointed to the spot but after a long VAR check a free-kick just outside the box was given, with Gunn saving Havertz’s shot.
But it went from bad to worse for Clarke’s side.
Gunn made a great save from a Gundogan header but the Germany captain was then tackled heavily by Porteous which led to a VAR check.
Clement went pitchside to view his monitor, awarded a penalty and sent off Porteous before Havertz sent Gunn the wrong way to effectively win the tie.
Grant Hanley came on for lone striker Che Adams for the start of the second half, with Christie playing furthest forward as the Germans looked to have dropped down a gear or two.
However, seconds after McGinn and McGregor were replaced by Gilmour and Kenny McLean, Fullkrug, on for Havertz, beat Gunn with an unstoppable drive and then forced the ball over the line again eight minutes later, thwarted, however, by the offside flag.
Rudiger’s own goal, turning in a header by Scotland substitute Scott McKenna, was loudly cheered by the Tartan Army but Can curled in a fifth from the edge of the box.
It was a calamitous night for Clarke and his men and they will need instant rehabilitation.
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Inter Milan were eyeing a treble at the end of the season and then:🚫 Lost Coppa Italia to Milan in semifinals 🚫 Lost Serie A title to Napoli by one point🚫 Lost UCL final to PSG by five goalsDamn After 189 games, this Champions League season is over.And PSG finished on top Champions League ✅Ligue 1 ✅Coupe de France ✅PSG complete the treble A season worthy of t...
WHAT HAPPENED?PSG ended their long wait for Champions League glory in breathtaking fashion as they hammered Inter in a 5-0 masterclass, and 19-year-old Desire Doue was at the heart of it all. The French prodigy, starting in his first final, delivered a performance for the ages, writing his name into football history alongside some of the game's greats.Doue opened the floodgates with a stunning dis...
Manchester United are now plotting a summer move for Viktor Gyokeres after missing out on Liam Delap, who is now expected to join Chelsea. According to a report from Give Me Sport, Manchester United wanted to sign the 22-year-old striker from Ipswich Town, but the player has chosen to move to Chelsea instead. Manchester United are now dreaming of signing Gyokeres from Sporting CP. Arsenal are keen...
WHAT HAPPENED?U.S. men's national team manager Mauricio Pochettino acknowledged that pressure is rising for his squad, especially with the 2025 Gold Cup quickly approaching - and the 2026 World Cup on the horizon. Yet, the Argentine manager, who was hired in September 2024, said the team still needs to can lean on fans for support."We need the fans. And they need, for sure, they are going to suppo...
Chelsea enter race for Everton's BranthwaiteChelsea are reportedly evaluating a potential move for Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite, as per Daily Mail.Branthwaite is attracting interest from multiple clubs, including Manchester United and Newcastle. However, Everton are standing firm on their valuation and are expected to demand no less than £70 million for the England international's serv...
A young Paris Saint-Germain side thrashed the more experienced Inter Milan in Saturday's UEFA Champions League final. Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)MUNICH -- Paris Saint-Germain won their first Champions League title by humiliating Inter Milan with a rampant 5-0 victory on Saturday.PSG completed a league, cup and Champions League treble on a night when 19-year-old forward Désiré Dou...
Viktor Gyokeres is wanted by Arsenal and Man Utd this summer (Image: Getty)Italian champions Napoli are reportedly prepared to compete with Arsenal for the signature of Sporting Lisbon's £67million-rated striker Viktor Gyokeres. Manager Antonio Conte has instructed the club to pursue the 26-year-old former Brighton, Swansea and Coventry forward, who has emerged as one of Europe's top goalscor...
PSG thrashed Inter Milan (Image: Getty)Munich has hosted five Champions League finals, and each one has seen a team win the European Cup for the first time. This was a positive sign for PSG as they aimed to follow in the footsteps of Nottingham Forest, Marseille, Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea. And they didn't half make the most of it, thrashing Barcelona 5-0 - the highest score there has ever been...
Barcelona rush to beat Premier League sides to Joan Garcia dealBarcelona have reportedly stolen a march on Man City and Arsenal in the race to sign Espanyol goalkeeper Joan Garcia this summer.The 24-year-old has admitted he is open to leaving Espanyol this summer after a stellar La Liga campaign, earning the interest of clubs across the continent.Arsenal and Man City have been heavily linked with ...
PSG fans' Champions League celebrations were interrupted by a huge explosion (Image: X: @intelFromBrian)Paris Saint-Germain fans' Champions League celebrations were interrupted by a terrifying explosion on Saturday night. The French capital descended into a state of chaos after PSG thrashed Inter Milan in Munich to win European football's most prestigious trophy for the first time.Thousands of sup...
- 1 Gyokeres' words about joining Arsenal
- 2 Ronaldo appears to confirm Al-Nassr exit
- 3 Chloe Kelly stuns Arsenal fans as she heads straight to local PUB
- 4 Chelsea making progress over Caicedo deal
- 5 Bonnie Blue kicked out of PL stadium while performing x-rated gesture
- 6 Amorim promises revival after disaster
- 7 Man City suffer Wirtz alternative blow
- 8 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 9 Arsenal boss Arteta's wife Lorena Bernal shares marriage secrets
- 10 Daily Laugh - GG bro / Sancho & Antony