Germany beat Scotland 5-1 Friday afternoon to get its European Championship campaign off to a blistering start.
Germany’s recent international tournament appearances have been calamitous. The team, which won the World Cup 10 years ago in 2014, crashed out of both the 2018 and 2022 tournaments in the opening round. Many worried that Germany would face similar struggles at these European championships, but this scintillating performance against Scotland — led by a new cast of characters like Florian Wirtz, Jamal Musiala and Maximilian Mittelstadt — proves that its rough years are firmly in its past.