Ken Early: Germany make the perfect start to Euro 2024 as Scotland suffer mauling

Should Scotland be invited to play in every opening match of the European Championships? Last night in Munich, the magnificent Scottish fans reminded us how big and how exciting international football can really feel.

Those were the moments when everything was still possible. Then Clement Turpin blew the whistle, and Germany went to work.Gareth and the Golden Generation: Epic tale of England’s manager set to enter its final actEvery Scotland Euros preview had mentioned Billy Gilmour’s technical quality in central midfield, so Steve Clarke surprised everybody by dropping Gilmour to accommodate the more physical Ryan Christie.

Instead Scotland dropped off and tried to stay compact. In which case Kroos simply finds the free men on the outside with 50-yard diagonals. The crowd cheered his first long pass out to Joshua Kimmich, acclaiming the hero’s signature move. On 11 minutes he did it again, and this time Kimmich played a quick ball across the face of the Scottish box, where Wirtz was arriving right on time.

Was it too soon to change? Coaches tend to avoid first-half substitutions as they can be humiliating both for the players who are replaced and the coach who is effectively admitting his plans have failed – but that didn’t stop Didier Deschamps replacing Olivier Giroud and Ousmane Dembele in the first half after France went 2-0 down to Argentina in the last World Cup final.

Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Ken Early: Ever-increasing demands ensure players mere pawns in the gameKen Early: Football authorities and players on a collision course as burnout becomes a real issue due to incessant schedule
Source: IrishTimes - 🏆 3. / 98 Read more »

Ken Early: Effortlessly elegant Ancelotti deservedly considered among the world’s bestReal Madrid manager has talked openly about his lack of philosophy and the adaptability which has allowed him to flourish
Source: IrishTimes - 🏆 3. / 98 Read more »

Ken Early: Maybe it’s good for football that magnificent Atalanta denied Leverkusen a perfect seasonThe Europa League final produced one of the best atmospheres ever heard in the Aviva Stadium - but the outcome that many had wished to see
Source: IrishTimes - 🏆 3. / 98 Read more »

Ken Early: Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City legacy could hang on the verdict of 115 chargesTriumphant City boss doesn’t need to wait around for things to turn sour and could be best to take a leaf out of Jurgen Klopp’s book
Source: IrishTimes - 🏆 3. / 98 Read more »

Germany v Scotland LIVE score updates from the Euro 2024 openerEuro 2024 gets underway on Friday night when hosts Germany face Scotland in Munich, before England get their tournament off and running on Sunday night vs Serbia in Gelsenkirchen
Source: IrishMirror - 🏆 4. / 98 Read more »

ITV slammed for 'shambolic' coverage of Germany vs Scotland in Euro 2024 openerScotland take on Germany in the opening match of Euro 2024 at Bayern Munich's Allianz Arena but fans left at home have been left frustrated by ITV's broacasting decisions ahead of the game
Source: IrishMirror - 🏆 4. / 98 Read more »