- author, Jonathan Geddes
- stock, BBC Scotland News
There was hope and excitement across Scotland as the national team prepared to face Germany in their opening game of Euro 2024.
But the Tartan Army endured a miserable night as Germany ran out 5-1 winners.
It took just 10 minutes for three-time European champion Florian Wirtz to take the lead.
Jamal Musiala doubled the Germans’ lead in a poor first half.
A Kai Howards penalty ended the game at half-time after Ryan Porteous was shown a straight red card.
Second-half substitute Nicklas Fulcrug made it 4-0 and Antonio Rudiger’s own goal sent the Scotland fans into a frenzy.
But Emre Can added a fifth in injury time to record the biggest opener in the competition’s 66-year history.
Fans gathered in pubs and fan zones across the country in anticipation of Scotland’s first international match on foreign soil since the 1998 World Cup in France.
200,000 people made the pilgrimage to Germany to cheer on Steve Clarke’s men.
Despite taking out the match hosts, many fans were in high spirits ahead of the game and the bar staff were ready for a bumper night.
Jennifer Morrison, event manager at Glasgow’s Merchant Square, said preparations for the game had been underway for “months” and hundreds had come through the doors.
Many predicted a good finish and one said it felt like “Christmas Eve” in the build-up.
More than 1,200 fans gathered on the platform in Glasgow city centre, wearing Scotland tops and waving saltires over the years.
But the good mood quickly faded, and many believed that it would not get worse in half the time.
David Hunter, from Hamilton, told BBC Scotland News: “I feel really tired.
“We always said it would be difficult to go to Munich and get a result in the first game.
“It’s damage limitation at this point.”
Ally McGinnigal, 37, from Tennistown, was looking forward to Scotland’s remaining matches against Switzerland on Wednesday and Hungary on June 23.
He said: “There are still two games left. Stranger things have happened.
“As a Scotland fan, I know to expect the minimum and then it’s a bonus if something good happens.”
In Munich, thousands visited the city’s fan park and fans were positive about the future.
One fan said: “The other two teams are not like Germany, so we’re still confident. Still confident. Come on Scotland.”
Another added: “We knew it was going to be a bit tough with injuries and stuff, but we expected more than what happened. But there’s still two games left in the group, so we’ll win. The next two games.”
Fan zones formed in the hope of a party cast a pall over the country.
At Cumbernauld’s Broadwood Stadium, Deacon Blue’s half-time soundtrack of Dignity failed to raise spirits.
And supporters at Riverside Park in Dundee braved the inclement weather ahead of kick-off.
One fan in the fan zone in Inverness called the result “disgraceful” and “very poor” and another called the performance “disgusting”.
But others retained some hope, saying the team “needs to keep their heads up” for the rest of the tournament.
Three generations of a family attended with Peter Nellis, his daughter Maria and grandchildren Mason, Megan and Caitlin at Dunfermline’s East End Park.
Megan told BBC Scotland News: “It’s good for people like me because I’m not allowed in pubs because of my age, so it’s good to be in places like this to get a good atmosphere for games.”
However one young fan perhaps summed up the match best.
He simply said: “Everyone was so bad.”
