Scotland's chances of progressing to the last 16 of the Euro 2024 finals were always going to hinge on how they fared in their second and third Group A games against Switzerland and Hungary and not the tournament opener against hosts Germany.
So Steve Clarke’s men, who were given a sobering reminder of just how brutal elite level international football is in the Allianz Arena in Munich this evening when they were thrashed 5-1 by Julian Nagelsmann’s hugely impressive charges, should not let themselves become too despondent about the mauling they were on the receiving end of.
If Andy Robertson and his team mates can dust themselves down and take four points from their outings in the RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne on Wednesday and the MHPArena in Stuttgart the following Sunday they can still go through to the knockout rounds of a finals for the first time in their history.
Scotland will, however, have to raise their games as well as their spirits considerably in the next nine days if they are to give their fans, over 200,000 of whom have travelled over to support them, an historic achievement to cheer. At this particular moment in time, it looks very unlikely.
Yes, they were up against world class opponents who are hoping to win the European Championships for the fourth occasion tonight. Still, they were cut open easily and repeatedly at the back, proved unable to gain any kind of control in midfield and offered next to nothing in the final third.
Ryan Porteous being shown a straight red card in added on time for a rash and dangerous foul on Ilkay Gundogan – an offence which resulted in a penalty that Kai Havertz converted - in added-on time at the end of the first-half was unfortunate. But it would have made no difference in the centre-half had remained on the field.
The only positive Scotland could take out of the bruising football lesson they were given was that the margin of defeat was not even greater. Here are five talking points from another opening defeat at a tournament.
German class
Clarke preferred Porteous to Grant Hanley at in the middle of a three man defence which also comprised Kieran Tierney and Jack Hendry. Anthony Ralston, as expected, was given the nod ahead of Ross McCrorie at right wing back.
Nagelsmann, meanwhile, kept faith with the starting line-up which had gone with in Germany’s last four games. He stuck with his 4-2-3-1 formation and deployed Havertz in attack ahead of a threequarter line that comprised Jamal Musiala, Gundogan and Wirtz.
How would an understrength Scotland defence cope against such a formidable front four?
If any players in dark blue shirts feeling nervous then the early exchanges should have given them confidence. Gunn closed down Wirtz and kept his attempt out with his head in just the second minute before the referee ruled the winger had been offside when Antonio Rudiger supplied him. Porteous then dispossessed Max Mittelstadt confidently.
But that was as good as it got.
There has not been a great deal of optimism about Germany’s prospects of prevailing at Euro 2024 in their homeland. It was hard to understand why on this evidence. Their passing, movement and finishing were all breathtaking. Scotland were utterly outclassed from start to finish.
Gilmour call
With Scott McTominay returning to full fitness during training in Garmisch-Partenkirchen this week, somebody was always going to have to make way for him. Billy Gilmour was the one who missed out. Clarke clearly felt that his team would have been a little lop-sided with them both involved next to Callum McGregor and John McGinn and retained Ryan Christie just off Che Adams.
It was a shame the Brighton midfielder, who picked up the Man of the Match award after making his competitive debut for his country in the 0-0 draw with England at Wembley in Euro 2020 three years ago, was not involved. He has often been one of the national team’s outstanding performers since. He was badly missed.
Would Clarke’s men have fallen behind if Gilmour had been on the park in the 10th minute when Joshua Kimmich squared the ball to Wirtz, who had ghosted in from the left, just outside their penalty box?
The Bayer Leverkusen player’s first time attempt, which Gunn got and hand to, was certainly sweetly struck. However, it was too easy for him. Far, far too easy. He should have been closed down far faster. He had time and space to steady himself.
Gilmour came on for McGregor as Kenny McLean also took over from McGinn. But he really should have been involved from the get go. His name has to be on the team sheet against Switzerland if Scotland are to put this behind them.
Foolish Porteous
Scorer Wirtz turned provider nine minutes after breaking the deadlock and set up the second when he laid off to Musiala. The Bayern Munich man, dinked inside and then rifled a ferocious shot beyond the cruelly exposed Gunn and into the roof of the net.
Clarke stood poker-faced in his technical area despite what he was witnessing and urged his charges to keep their cool.
When French referee Clement Turpin pointed to the penalty spot after Christie had brought down the advancing Musiala it looked very much as if a mauling was on the cards. Mercifully, a VAR check showed that contact had been made outside of the area.
The new technology was not so kind to Scotland shortly before half-time after Gunn had kept out a Gundogan header. Porteous slid in with both feet in an attempt to clear the danger and made contact with the ball first. However, he caught the opposing skipper with excessive force. His rival was lucky he could continue. He could have no complaints about being ordered off.
Change required
Clarke put on Hanley for adams at the start of the second-half, but the Norwich City man, who has hardly played due to injury in recent months, was partially to blame for the fourth which substitute Niclas Fullkrug lashed into the top corner.
Replacement Scott McKenna forced Rudiger to turn into his own net near the end. But Emre Can promptly whipped in a fifth in injury-time.
How does the manager get back to winning ways after this abject humiliation? Who does he drop? Who does he bring in? Does he change his formation? He has much to contemplate and some big decisions to make in the days ahead.
Eur gonnae have a blast
Euro 2024 may only be 90 minutes old but it is already shaping up to be a helluva tournament.
There could not have been better opponents for Germany to face than Scotland in the curtain raiser. The Tartan Army turned up in Munich in droves to lend their support to their brave boys and created a carnival atmosphere in the city and the stadium.
There was a lusty rendition of We’ll Be Coming when the Scotland squad took to the field to limber up before kick-off and their fans joined in with the unofficial German national anthem – Live is Life by Austrian band Opus – came on. The place was bouncing by the time the colourful opening ceremony got underway.
Tributes were paid the Frank Beckenbauer, the legendary German player and manager who passed away earlier this year as the Henri Delaunay trophy was taken out of the tunnel before the match and the Scottish fans joined the German counterparts in applauding Der Kaiser. They had precious little to clap during 90 one-sided minutes.
