Julian Nagelsmann even took positives from Germany conceding, as his side romped to a stunning 5-1 win over Scotland in the curtain raiser of Euro 2024.
Germany did not wilt under the pressure of hosting Euro 2024’s opening match in Munich, as Florian Wirtz, Jamal Musiala and a Kai Havertz penalty put them 3-0 up by half-time.
Watford centre back Ryan Porteous was shown a red card for a two-footed challenge on Ilkay Gundogan to give away a penalty, before Niclas Fullkrug slammed in a fourth.
Emre Can cut short Scotland’s celebrations following Antonio Rudiger’s late own goal and Nagelsmann was pleased to see his players unhappy about the concession.
“The signs from our players were brilliant,” Nagelsmann told ITV. “They complained about the situation and do not want to concede a goal. So it’s a good sign that you’re still hungry when you’re 4-0 in the lead.
“I’m happy. I’m satisfied. It’s not that easy to have the first game in your home country. We looked back at the first games of the last tournaments that weren’t that good, so in the end we had a kind of pressure.”
The stunning 5-1 win broke the record for the biggest win by a host at a European Championship, as well as the largest margin of victory for any side in the opening match of the tournament.
Crucial to the hosts’ victory was their lightning-fast start, according to the former Bayern Munich manager.
Nagelsmann said: “The first 15 minutes were very good. Since then, Scotland were surprised, kind of afraid. I was happy with the performance and then we stayed focused in the whole game.
Source:
Eurosport
