For the first time in several tournaments, the Mannschaft successfully entered the fray, and began to erase the few negative specters that surrounded it, by crushing Scotland on Friday at the start of the Euro (5-1). A demonstration started by the young German guard, Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala (21 years old each), then followed by a penalty from Kai Havertz, obtained at the end of the first period.
Reduced to ten men at the time of the resumption, the Tartan Army resisted as best it could, before seeing its dikes give way again. Niclas Füllkrug and Emre Can worsened the score, but Julian Nagelsmann’s troops could not make a perfect copy, conceding an own goal through Antonio Rüdiger. The Germans thus take command of group A.
What you must remember
- The cador. Florian Wirtz, the dynamiter.
With his fiery legs and his acceleration with the ball, the Bayer Leverkusen winger quickly dictated a pace that the Tartan Army couldn’t follow. As against France in March, although less quickly (the Blues had conceded a goal in seven seconds), it was he who opened the scoring (10e) and launched his team towards major success.
1-0, 10e : On a precise cross from Toni Kroos, Joshua Kimmich deflects for Florian Wirtz in the middle, where he takes his chance on the edge of the area. His shot hits the hand of goalkeeper Angus Gunn, then the right post of the Scottish goalkeeper’s cage, who does not benefit from the rebound.
2-0, 19e : German captain İlkay Gündoğan finds Kai Havertz in the right corner of the Scottish box. The Gunner stares the goalkeeper straight in the eye, but ultimately prefers a pass towards the penalty spot, where Jamal Musiala comes to land a mine in the top corner.
3-0.45e+1 : The nasty foul by Scottish defender Ryan Porteous on İlkay Gündoğan is punished with a red card and a logical penalty. Kai Havertz transforms it.
4-0, 68e : Having just entered the match, Borussia Dortmund striker Niclas Füllkrug, alone at the penalty spot, swings a ball with his right foot and pierces Angus Gunn’s net.
4-1, 87e : Robertson is maneuvering on a free kick, and the German defense is unable to regain the ball correctly. Antonio Rüdiger, trying to clear the ball with his head, accidentally pushes it into his goalkeeper’s net.
5-1, 90th+3 : On a delivery from Thomas Müller, Emre Can crucified the Scots with a perfectly controlled shot, which lodged at the far post in Gunn’s net.
This is the total number of goals scored by Niclas Füllkrug with the German tunic, in just 16 selections. The BVB center forward, called up for the first time with the Mannschaft in 2022, but often confined to a substitute role, could well do well in this competition.
- The turning point of the match. The exclusion of Ryan Porteous.
The Watford defender had an extremely complicated evening. Often taken by surprise by the attacks of Florian Wirtz behind his back, he was guilty of a tackle punished at the height of his dangerousness, on the shin of Ilkay Gündogan (44e). His teammates, understaffed, then had to suffer as best they could, during a second period that was very difficult to understand.
This is called taking care of your entrance. For the start of a competition that they are organizing on their land, the Germans offered a choice spectacle to their supporters, and an almost perfect start to the tournament.
