Euro 2024: Records broken during Germany's 5-1 win over Scotland in opening clash; look at top talking points

Germany set a new record at Euro 2024 by thrashing Scotland 5-1 in the tournament's opening match at the Allianz Arena in Munich on Friday. This victory marks the biggest-ever win for the host nation in the European Championships and the largest margin of victory for any team in an opening match of the tournament.

Florian Wirtz opened the scoring in the 10th minute, followed by Jamal Musiala, who doubled the lead nine minutes later. Scotland's troubles intensified when defender Ryan Porteous was sent off for a rash challenge on Ilkay Gundogan inside the box. Kai Havertz converted the resulting penalty to make it 3-0 before halftime.

In the second half, Germany's coach Julian Nagelsmann, the youngest coach in Euros history, substituted Niclas Fullkrug and Emre Can, both of whom scored to complete the dominant performance.

Since the Euros began in 1960, there has been one goalless opening match and eight opening matches with just a one-goal margin. Here are the top three margins of victory in opening games of the Euros:

• 2024 : Germany 5-1 Scotland
• 2020: Turkey 0-3 Italy
• 1976: Czechoslovakia 3-1 Netherlands; Yugoslavia 2-4 West Germany

Youth take centre-stage for Germany

For the first time in the history of the Men's European Championships, two players aged 21 or under scored for the same team in a single game. Florian Wirtz netted the opening goal, and Jamal Musiala doubled the lead, with both players being 21 years old.

A brighter future for Germany

Florian Wirtz became the third German player to score the opening goal at a European Championship, following in the footsteps of Gerd Muller in 1972 and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in 1980. At 21 years and 42 days old, Wirtz is also the youngest player to score for Germany in the tournament's history. 

Wirtz's goal, timed at nine minutes and 54 seconds, is the second fastest in an opening match of the Euros, only behind Giorgios Karagounis' goal for Greece in 2004, which was scored in 5 minutes and 57 seconds.

Nagelsmann era

For the first time ever, Germany scored three goals in the first half of a European Championship match. Under the guidance of Julian Nagelsmann, the youngest coach in European Championship history, Germany displayed a very aggressive approach in their opening game against Scotland.

Additionally, Germany became only the second team to score three or more goals in the first half of a Euro match, following France, who achieved this feat by scoring three goals against Belgium in 1984 and four goals against Iceland in 2016.

Germany's super-sub

All three of Niclas Fullkrug’s major tournament goals (World Cup/Euros) have been scored as a substitute, tying the record for a European nation with Hungary’s Laszlo Kiss, Portugal’s Rui Costa, and Germany’s Andre Schurrle.

Germany's 'sniper' strikes again

Toni Kroos completed 99% of his passes against Scotland (101 out of 102), the highest completion rate on record (since 1980) by any player attempting 100 or more passes in a Euro game.

Starting Euro 2024 with a bang

Germany won its opening game of a European Championship for the eighth time, a feat no other team has matched, with France being the closest at six. Germany also became the seventh different team to score at least five goals in a single Euros match, joining Denmark, France (twice), the Netherlands, Spain (twice), Sweden, and Yugoslavia.

Scotland's nightmarish night

Scotland's Ryan Porteous became the first player to be sent off on his Euros debut since Aleksandar Dragovic for Austria against Hungary in 2016. He also became the first Scotland international to receive a red card in a major tournament (World Cup/EUROs) since Craig Burley against Morocco in the 1998 FIFA World Cup.