No party for Scotland
Scotland suffer a debacle in their European Championship opener against Germany - 1:5. Despite the vociferous support, the Scots are drawn in a seemingly eternal draw. (updated)
Match report from Munich Arena
The cheers of the Scottish fans in the stands knew little restraint. The Tartan Army euphorically sang the eternal hit "No Scotland, no party" and the German supporters fell silent for a short time in the face of the visitors' vocal power. Scotland had just written a bit of domestic soccer history with their first goal in the tournament since the 1998 World Cup in the 87th minute. The long-suffering supporters had been waiting patiently for this moment for 26 years, because the home footballers are not always very good at scoring goals. And so it was fitting that it was not a Scot who scored this important goal - but DFB defender Antonio Rüdiger with an own goal. Rüdiger deflected the ball into the German net with his head after a free-kick.
For the Scots, the end of the long goalless period felt like a small consolation for an evening of soccer that could hardly have been more Scottish. Ahead of Friday's match against the hosts, the focus was on their own national team more than it had been for years, with their compatriots hoping to reach the knockout phase of a major tournament for the first time. One hundred thousand Scots followed the team to the venue in Munich, ten thousand of them had tickets for the match and sang along to the lines of the national anthem "O Flower of Scotland" as frenetically as if all their countrymen had been in the stadium.
The Scots ruin their goal difference
But then Scotland were once again caught up in the seemingly eternal fate that the nation is always trying to fight: The Scots are having a great time until the game starts. The eagerly awaited European Championship opener turned into a debacle that probably can't even be washed down and forgotten with several bottles of Scotch whiskey. The 5-1 defeat to Germany not only ruined the Scots' painstakingly built-up self-confidence and international reputation, but also their goal difference, which could decide whether they progress from third place in their group.
It is therefore likely that Scotland will need four points in their upcoming two games against Switzerland and Hungary to reach the round of 16. Despite the poor starting position, national coach Steve Clarke insisted that his team would keep the faith because they were much better than the performance they had shown. After the final whistle, the embarrassed players on the pitch cautiously thanked the supporters from a distance for their support, most of whom had already left the stadium early. In view of the huge disappointment, the Times asked, not without good reason, whether the long wait for this match had been worth it at all.
Scotland looked like a rabbit in the headlights, writes the Scotsman
In fact, the players' long period without any real tournament experience - Scotland had only last taken part in the 2021 European Championship - was plain to see. For all of them, the clash with the Germans was the most important international match of their careers to date. The Scotsman commented that the squad had looked like rabbits in the headlights. The biggest problem probably proved to be the lack of man-to-man cover for midfielder Toni Kroos, who played quarterback-style for Germany. He was involved in the creation of all three German goals in the first half.
At times Kroos was as free as if word had not reached Scotland that he would not be retiring until after the European Championships. The quick goals conceded and the additional sending off for defender Ryan Porteous reinforced the Germans' superiority. During the break, former Scotland international and current TV pundit Ally McCoist predicted a "long, long half" for his compatriots - and of course his prediction came true. In the end, the Scots had neither a shot on goal nor a corner to show for it. The Independent thanked Antonio Rüdiger for the own goal and added sarcastically that he was Scotland's only hope for the rest of the tournament.
In the final minutes, Scotland's main concern was to avoid their heaviest ever defeat at the European Championships. Yugoslavia had once suffered it in the quarter-finals of the 2000 European Championship against the hosts, the Netherlands - it was a 1:6 defeat. At least the Scots were spared that.