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Key events
38 mins: Austin MacPhee, Scotland’s set-piece coach, is out of his seat to direct matters. While John McGinn tries to distract Manuel Neuer, McTominay floats in a long-range cross which is headed back across goal, but just won’t drop to a navy shirt.
37 mins: A rare moment of joy for Che Adams upfield as he’s bundled over by Jonathan Tah, earning a free kick some 35 yards out …
35 mins: Maximilian Mittelstädt cuts in from the left to marshal Che Adams, getting his head to the ball first. The left-back is one of the longer, and less familiar, names in Nagelsmann’s squad, breaking through after impressing at Stuttgart this season.
34 mins: “Germany in Kroos control,” notes Peter Oh, who will be here all tournament. It seems incredible to me that Toni Kroos is packing it in after these Euros. He’s still one of the best players on the planet.
32 mins: Havertz uses his arm to flick the ball on to Musiala, who puts it in the net – but the referee had already blown his whistle, and offers a wry smile to the Arsenal man for his impudence.
30 mins: Andrich, clearly the midfield bruiser every tournament-winning nation needs, earns a yellow card for a late lunge on Callum McGregor.
29 mins: An important milestone for Scotland – they’ve gone 10 minutes without conceding. And let’s be fair, Germany have started very well, showing a fluency and urgency few expected in the tournament’s opening minutes.
27 mins: Kroos lays it off for Havertz to shoot, but his low strike takes a nick off Christie’s boot, and is saved comfortably by Angus Gunn.
26 mins: Interesting to see the new captains-only approach there, with Robertson and Gundogan left to harangue the referee on behalf of their teammates. Gundogan couldn’t really be bothered, in truth. Here comes the free kick, with Kroos and Havertz over it …
Penalty to Germany? Oh dear, Scotland’s heads have gone – and when Musiala collects Mittelstadt’s pass and threatens to get a shot on goal, Ryan Christie simply crashes into him. Clément Turpin points to the spot, but replays suggest the initial contact was outside the box. It’s a free kick, inches outside the area.
23 mins: Tierney’s cross towards the isolated Che Adams is hoofed away by Rudiger, and Gundogan is brought down by Callum McGregor.
“As an Irish football fan, I’d like to reassure my Scottish brethren: just keep your heads, it’s really early doors, you definitely can still win the singing,” writes Niall Mullen. Some hangovers kicking in fast in the blue corner of the ground just now.
Scotland have been unable to hold on to the ball, and when they give it away, Gundogan turns his man and strolls forward, before slicing through the back line with a pass to Havertz. Instead of shooting from an angle, he turns and plays it back to Musiala, who sidesteps to open up space, then blasts the ball into the roof of the net. There’s no stopping that one!
GOAL! Germany 2-0 Scotland (Musiala 19′)
This is a blistering start from the hosts, and a rude awakening for Scotland. From a quick, free-flowing move, Jamal Musiala rifles in Germany’s second goal!
18 mins: Gunn gets half a point on the board in his personal battle with Wirtz, racing out to stop the Leverkusen star latching on to a through ball. But Germany come again …
16 mins: Ralston’s rushed long ball towards Adams is intercepted, allowing Germany to win the ball back and stroke it around midfield.
14 mins: Scotland are playing the ball around the back, trying to get their heads together. “Flower of Scotland” is echoing around the Allianz Arena as fans try to lift their team again.
Could Angus Gunn have done a little bit better there? Yes, probably – it wasn’t a howler by any means, but having got down to a low shot through a crowd of players, the keeper will have been pretty devastated to still let it squirm into the net.
Scotland’s narrow setup is allowing Kimmich to push up very high, and he collects a long diagonal pass before squaring to Wirtz. He fires a low shot, central but spinning towards the far post – and although Angus Gunn gets a firm hand to it, he can only push it onto the post and in! That’s the first part of my prediction right, at least.
GOAL! Germany 1-0 Scotland (Wirtz 10′)
As the clock ticks past the 10-minute mark, Germany take the lead through Florian Wirtz!
9 mins: Interesting that in Gundogan and Kimmich, Julian Nagelsmann has two exceptional central midfielders who aren’t playing in central midfield. Gundogan is in the No 10 slot, with Toni Kroos and Robert Andrich behind him.
8 mins: Kimmich, who is stationed at right-back, lifts a cross in and Havertz heads it backwards, in that awkward Havertzian style of his, but nobody in white is there to latch on to it.
6 mins: Andy Robertson tries to thread the ball to Ryan Christie down the left, but overhits his pass.
5 mins: Scotland get forward for the first time, and Tierney lobs a long throw towards the box. Andrich heads clear, Germany win it back and threaten to break, but Jack Hendry is on hand to sweep up.
“I’m in Edinburgh tonight and it was eerily quiet on the streets on the way downtown to watch this,” writes Justin Kavanagh. “The sign of a proper footie nation. Let’s hope for bedlam come 10 o’clock.”
3 mins: Kieran Tierney outmuscles Jamal Musiala, eventually winning a goal kick when his clearance cannons back off the Germany winger.
1 min: Oh my! Wirtz, who looks well offside, chests the ball down and forces an early save from Gunn. Replays suggest he was actually not offside by much at all, Anthony Ralston just getting out in time.
Euro 2024 is go!
The crowd count down, Clément Turpin blows his whistle, and the tournament has begun. Germany are in all white with red, black and yellow trim, Scotland in a navy ensemble with some bold yellow flashes.
My prediction, not that anyone asked: Germany score fairly early, but Scotland get one back from a set piece. They hold on until the last 10 minutes, but the hosts get a late winner. Germany 2-1 Scotland.
The teams are out, and line up next to the giant inflatable trophy which is still sitting in the centre circle. Let’s hope Uefa paid for removal as well as installation. It’s time for the anthems, both of which are belted out with equal gusto. It’s happening!
There is a moment’s pause to pay tribute to Franz Beckenbauer, who died in January. His widow, Heidi, is carrying the trophy out on to the pitch and looks moved at the huge applause from all sides of the ground.
Get in touch! Some readers have mentioned problems with the mail link atop the MBM. If it’s not working for you, you can email niall.mcveigh@theguardian.com or send me a message via X: @niallmcveigh.
The dance troupe unfurl banners representing each host city, then a giant tarpaulin with the words “WELCOME TO GERMANY” emblazoned on it. Now the crowd are getting involved, lifting up bits of paper to make a colourful mosaic around the ground. Sparklers are lit and giant ribbons and flags are rolled out before a giant replica of the trophy emerges from the central plinth. And … that’s it. Well, it was short at least – and for that, we are thankful.
Here we go! The opening ceremony has suddenly sprung into life, dancers dressed in block colours converging on a centre-circle platform to body-pop and twirl flags. It’s fine, but also a bit like someone typed ‘opening ceremony’ into an AI generator.
There’s still no real sign of any opening ceremony, with under 20 minutes to kick-off. The Tartan Army, bouncing in unison, are providing enough pre-game spectacle as it is. There’s still time to vote in our quickfire poll, which shows there is plenty of Scots optimism out there.
Which Germany squad member was born in Uzbekistan? And which Scotland player wears No 9 for the New York Red Bulls? It’s all in our peerless interactive guide to every player at these Euros:
“It’s been a long wait [for the fans],” says Steve Clarke. “A long day for us too, late evening kick-off. We’ll have to defend very well. Can we play the perfect game? Probably not, because nobody can. But can we eliminate mistakes? That’s what we need to do.
On being underdogs tonight: “We understand the system, the strengths and weakness of Germany. People can say what they want. For us, it’s a game that if we win, it’ll be a fantastic feeling. That’s what we’ll try to do.”
If there were a trophy on offer for the best pre-match fit, Germany would have it in the bag. Just look at those tracksuits!
Lorraine Kelly has just popped up on ITV outside the ground, predicting a 2-1 Scotland win and forgetting Rule No 1 of international tournaments.
Germany v Scotland: the teams
Germany (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Kimmich, Rüdiger, Tah, Mittelstadt; Andrich, Kroos; Musiala, Gündogan (c), Wirtz; Havertz.
Subs: Baumann, ter Stegen, Raum, Gross, Füllkrug, Fuhrich, Müller, Beier, Schlotterbeck, Anton, Sané, Henrichs, Koch, Can, Undav.
Scotland (3-4-2-1): Gunn; Porteous, Hendry, Tierney; Ralston, McTominay, McGregor, Robertson (c); Christie, McGinn; Adams.
Subs: Kelly, Clark, Hanley, Shankland, Gilmour, Cooper, Armstrong, Morgan, Conway, Jack, McCrorie, McLean, Taylor, Forrest, McKenna.
Referee: Clément Turpin (France)
Here’s how the hosts will line up …
… and here’s Steve Clarke’s starting XI.
An hour until kick-off; team news is coming any moment now, before we head into the arena for the opening ceremony. There will be a tribute to Franz Beckenbauer before some musical guests (who remain curiously anonymous).
After being deployed under the radar at the 2022 World Cup, football’s equivalent of cricket’s “snickometer” could play a prominent role tonight. Nick Ames has more:
A message to Scotland fans, from none other than Sir Alex Ferguson:
What do fans from all 24 countries expect from their teams, and this tournament? Find out here. Shout out to the Romania fan who predicts they will lose all three games, conceding 10 goals – that’s the spirit.
One end of the stadium is already festooned with saltires – it’s estimated that around 200,000 Scotland fans have travelled to Munich. Here’s Football Daily on how the Tartan Army got the party started in style …
ITV have gone with a solid punditry line-up for the opening game: Ian Wright, Graeme Souness and Roy Keane. Their intro montage is an animated, fairytale-themed affair, with Harry Kane climbing Rapunzel’s hair, Little Red Ronaldo and John McGinn in a gilded carriage. A lot of fun.
Prediction time: cast your votes via this handy poll.
Think you know your Panenka from your Piratiko? Why not try our quiz, with 24 questions on the history of the Euros …
“Hi Niall.” Hello there, Simon McMahon. “Really looking forward to the opening fixture between these two sides. The land of beer, sausages, ridiculous national costumes and unintelligible, emotionally repressed men, versus Germany. COME ON SCOTLAND!!!”
Step into my tactics truck, and we’ll take a look at how both teams might set up. After a doomed experiment with Kai Havertz as a left-wing-back, Julian Nagelsmann has gone back to basics, recalling Toni Kroos and switching to a 4-2-3-1, with Havertz likely to lead the line tonight ahead of Niclas Füllkrug.
As for Scotland, they are expecting to field a back three, with Anthony Ralston joining Andy Robertson at wing-back. The midfield engine room is crucial, led by Scott McTominay and John McGinn, while Che Adams’ pace on the break should see him selected instead of Lawrence Shankland.
And here’s Ewan Murray on Scotland, seeking to reach the knockout stages at a major tournament for the first time:
There’s no better place to start your pre-match reading than with our Experts’ Network guides. First, the hosts …
Preamble
Ready? Of course you are. It’s been 13 long summer days since Real Madrid won the Champions League final, but the wait is almost over. We’re about to break the seal on a 30-day football buffet, where the games and goals will just keep piling up. You tell yourself that you might skip Poland v Austria next Friday, but you know you won’t.
We’re all in, and if the trophy belongs to the players and the tournament belongs to the fans who will criss-cross between Germany’s great football cathedrals, then maybe this moment belongs to us, the armchair fans. The simple joy of a big summer tournament feels like an increasingly rare treat, so let’s savour the moment.
Tonight’s opener, pencilled in the diary ever since the draw in early December, feels like a perfect first act. It pits the hosts, among the favourites but still not quite finding that elusive extra gear, against perennial underdogs in Scotland. Steve Clarke’s side appear to have slipped backwards since their exceptional qualifying campaign, drifting from dark horses to outsiders in a tricky Group A.
That said, if you have to play Germany in Germany, this is the time to do it – when rustiness and first-night nerves could really play a part. All the pressure is on the hosts tonight, and the longer Scotland can keep them at bay, the greater the tension inside the, er, Munich Football Arena. There lies the path to a shock victory – and if you can’t dream now, when can you?
Kick-off is at 9pm local time, 8pm BST and we’ll have all the buildup, team news and coverage of the opening ceremony. Auf geht’s!
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