Euro 2024

ROY KEANE tore into Scotland after their 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Germany.Steve Clarke’s men kicked off their Euro 2024 campaign in the worst way imaginable as they were thrashed by the hosts in Munich.Scotland were hammered by Germany in the opening game of Euro 2024Credit: GettyRoy Keane ripped into the Scots for their performance on Friday nightCredit: ITVScotland were 3-0 down and reduced to 10 men before half-time after Ryan Porteous saw red for a shocking challenge on Ilkay Gundogan.And Keane did not mince his words following the Scots’ horror evening.Speaking on ITV, he said: “When you’re playing football at this level you’ve got to hit people. Hit them properly, hit them aggressively, do it in the right way.”It’s no good talking after the game about ‘We had a game plan’ – rubbish.READ MORE ON SCOTLAND”Andrew Robertson, it’s all just rubbish coming out. You knew before the game what was at stake.”After the game it’s no good going ‘We’ll regroup, we’ll be angry tomorrow’, no, you should be angry for a long time.”They spoke before the game about creating history. They’re creating history alright by playing as bad as that, letting their manager and supporters down.”Reacting to the clip, one football fan replied: “Roy Keane just obliterated Scotland.”Most read in Euro 2024CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSAnother added: “Roy Keane once again with another bang on opinion 👏🏼.”A third responded: “Game one and Roy Keane is absolutely hammering Scotland… Beautiful.”Franz Beckenbauer’s widow Heidi pays emotional tribute to Germany legend husband at Euro 2024 opening match vs ScotlandEURO 2024 LIVE: LATEST UPDATES FROM THE TOURNAMENTWhile a fourth said: “Roy Keane has hit the nail on the head, Robertson saying they had a game plan is a joke.”After the game, Robertson said: “First half, we just got it all wrong really, didn’t show up, weren’t aggressive enough, and we let good players get on the ball.”Second half, we’re down to 10 men and I thought lads dug in really well.”We’re so well backed over here, today was hugely disappointing.”We have to bounce back quickly because there was lots wrong here and it’s a quick turnaround now.”Maybe it’s a reminder of how tough this tournament is.READ MORE SUN STORIES”Their big players showed up and were excellent all over the park and had an answer for pretty much everything we had.”I don’t think we’ve played to our maximum. We have to dust ourselves down and go again.”Keane took aim at Scotland captain Andy Robertson for his post-match commentsCredit: GettyScotland Euro 2024 guideQUALIFYING for back-to-back Euros is an achievement in itself and the Tartan Army are sure to make the most of it.

The Scots recorded a famous 2-0 win over Spain in qualifying, but come into the Euros off the back of seven games without a win.
MANAGER: Steve Clarke
Only Jock Stein, Andy Roxburgh and Craig Brown have managed Scotland in more games than Jose Mourinho’s former assistant.
STAR MAN: John McGinn
The Aston Villa star has reached new levels under Unai Emery’s tutelage and is crucial to a midfield that provides most of Scotland’s goals.
How Scotland attack
Scotland’s three-man midfield will be crucial with the likes of McGinn and Scott McTominay providing lung-busting runs and coming up with most of the goals.
Target man Lyndon Dykes is set to be a big miss with Che Adams likely to step in as the lone striker in a 5-4-1 formation.
How Scotland defend
Scotland will put ten men behind the ball in a deep 5-4-1 block out of possession.
They will work extremely hard to deny the opposition central spaces between the lines, forcing them to resort to wide play and crosses which the Scots feel more comfortable defending.
Read the full Scotland Euro 2024 guide here, including predicted line-ups, odds and Wags More

JOHN STONES thought he had broken his foot during the embarrassing defeat to Iceland at Wembley.When he got to Germany, the defender missed training due to illness and spent a day on the toilet instead.John Stones is set to be available for England’s opening game against SerbiaCredit: GettyStones is one of the most experienced players in the England squadCredit: RexBut despite not having the smoothest of preparations for the Euros opener against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen, he was in good spirits on Friday.It is probably because Stones knows he was lucky to avoid a serious injury following Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson’s clumsy tackle in the first minute of the final warm-up game.Clearly struggling at Wembley, Stones was partly to blame for the Iceland winner and he was substituted at half-time as a precaution.With Harry Maguire ruled out of the tournament with a calf injury, losing Stones would have been an absolute disaster.READ MORE ON EURO 2024Rewinding to the opening minute against Iceland, Stones said: “I was worried at first. I knew it wasn’t my knee or my ankle, because of the mechanism in how I landed.“It was almost like my big toe in the line straight down my foot and I thought ‘I have fractured it’. I thought the worst at the start.“The docs made the call at half-time and maybe they made the right one in the end. I had an X-ray straight away at Wembley and then the morning after.“I thought ‘if I’ve fractured it, I will get docs, tablets, injections, whatever’. I didn’t want to miss out.”Most read in Euro 2024BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSStones left Wembley with his right ankle strapped and after flying to Germany on Monday, he started to feel unwell during training in Jena.He said: “I haven’t been that bad in . . . I could not tell you how long. I am not getting into detail though! It was a really rough 36 hours.England star reveals he has been building HOGWARTS out of Lego as he hopes for Harry Potter magic at Euro 2024“I didn’t feel great the day before in the open session but thought it would pass.“I ended up ringing the doc in the early hours of the morning after being up for a few hours as I couldn’t take it any more.“It was difficult because I was having hot and cold sweats. I felt quite alone, to be honest. You are not at home. No one around you.“And then being stuck in my room all day, no food. Not much water because it was coming out again! I don’t usually get sick. If it was ever going to happen, at least it was during this week and I got back to training on Thursday.”Jack Wilshere’s England XI vs SerbiaSunSport columnist Jack Wilshere wants Engand to start with just one holding midfielder – Declan Rice.
That means playing Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham in attacking midfield roles, with Cole Palmer and Bukayo Saka on the wings, either side of Harry Kane up top.
Wilshere said: “In the group stage against teams we should beat, we can  afford to be more expansive, let’s attack.
“It wasn’t that long ago we were saying we didn’t have the Spanish-type of players who can dominate the ball, now we have.
“So let’s try to utilise that, dominate the ball and go for goals.”
And the ex-England midfielder wants Trent Alexander-Arnold to get the nod at right-back, with Kyle Walker centre-back.
He added: “If you play Trent at right-back and he drifts in midfield, he can switch the play at speed. Walker’s pace will get you out of trouble.”
Read more from Jack Wilshere during Euro 2024.

Panic over, now Stones must forge a strong partnership with Marc Guehi, 23. But they have only played twice together.Aside from the Iceland game, the only other time was a humiliating 4-0 Nations League defeat by Hungary in Wolverhampton two years ago. The less said about that game, the better.Stones, 30, said: “I don’t know what the stat is on how many games me and Harry [Maguire] have played together but it’s probably quite a lot.“He’ll be missed as well, not only by me, but the team, people who he’s close to within the team as well. That’s the difficult part of the game.“He’ll be upset he’s not here but it’s a great chance for other people to learn new skills, and ways of what the manager wants to implement on the training pitch.“I’m a big fan of Marc’s. Just how he goes about his work. He is taking everything in. His quality, for his size, is good. He is strong and dominates.“He has been an incredible player at Palace and had a big injury this season as well but I watched him come back in his first game and it was like nothing had ever happened.”Guehi has 11 caps compared to Stones’ 72 appearances.Yet while there is no doubt over Stones’ pedigree, he has not had a great season for Manchester City. He only started 12 Premier League games for Pep Guardiola and was an unused sub on 17 occasions.Stones said: “It’s not how I wanted to end the season. You want to feel involved, you want to play as much as you can.“I’ve been there and been in sticky situations enough now to know that it’s not about me it’s about the team and I was there every day trying to give the manager a headache.“I won’t start throwing my teddy out of the pram and say ‘I should be playing’. Of course, I believe I should be playing but it’s out of my control who picks the team. I control the controllables. I’m here to help.READ MORE SUN STORIES“A major factor of why we’ve won so many things is not one player wins for everyone.“I played a massive role in the last season [2022-23] and what we’ve done and you’ve got to always be positive about what’s in front of you.” More

WELL, there’s good news and there’s bad news. The good news is that we will soon be experiencing the blessed sound of bagpipes retreating into the distance. Germany made the perfect start to their home European ChampionshipsCredit: GettyIt was a rough way for Scotland to start their campaignCredit: GettyFlorian Wirtz gave Germany an early lead in MunichCredit: PAJamal Musiala rifled Germany 2-0 up before the 20-minute markCredit: GettyRyan Porteous was sent off after a VAR review for a bad challenge on Ilkay GundoganCredit: EPAPorteous’ shocking tackle also earned Germany a penaltyCredit: RexKai Havertz sent Angus Gunn the wrong way from the penalty spotCredit: GettyHavertz played a part in two of Germany’s goalsThe Tartan Army can start packing their bags in preparation for yet another group-stage exit after an utter humiliation in this Euros opener. Give them a wee medal for having the best fans, by all means, because the Scots have certainly enjoyed a proper hooley in Munich this week. At least until the first whistle was blown and the actual football started.But the bad news for those of an English persuasion is that Germany are looking seriously, ominously good. READ MORE ON EURO 2024The shower of Scotland were only as bad as Julian Nagelsmann’s side made them look. By half-time, Steve Clarke’s side were 3-0 down and reduced to ten men – with Germany’s wunderkinds Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala handing Scotland’s backsides to them on a plate. Scotland have qualified for 11 previous tournaments and never reached the knock-out stage.It is difficult to imagine them garnering the four points they are likely to need against Hungary and Switzerland in their remaining Group A fixtures in order to progress this time.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSScotland were undone inside 10 minutesCredit: RexMusiala’s accomplished finish put Germany in complete controlCredit: ReutersGermany, eliminated at the group stage at the last two World Cups, had been largely overlooked by those tipping winners of this competition. But they must surely be part of the argument after this ruthless demolition job.   SCOTLAND FAN ZONESEURO 2024 LIVE: LATEST UPDATES FROM THE TOURNAMENTMusiala, the Bayern Munich playmaker who has so much in common with Jude Bellingham, was majestic here.The Germans are expecting him to emerge into genuine world-class status and that is precisely where he looked here. Before kick-off, there had been a carnival atmosphere on the U-bahn – men in skirts and men in leather shorts joining forces against a common foe with chants of ‘We hate England more than you!’The Tartan Army had spent most of the previous 48 hours getting piddled in the Marienplatz, with its vast beer halls. Few of them were optimistic about this match but the ‘No Scotland, No Party’ vibe ensured that they were going to savour this occasion – a first overseas tournament appearance in 26 years – no matter what. Sir Alex Ferguson appeared on the big screen, urging his countrymen to enjoy themselves whatever the result – never a sentiment he’d have expressed in his heyday. After a low-rent opening ceremony and a couple of stirring national anthems, we had us a first authentic summer footballing shebang in six years.  The Germans went straight for the jugular and were ahead inside ten minutes. Musiala was everywhere for Germany on Friday nightToni Kroos played a trademark crossfield pass out to Josh Kimmich, who squared for Wirtz to drill a low first-time shot which Angus Gunn could only turn onto the inside of the post on its way in.  The former England Under-21 keeper has clearly picked up the ancient traditions of Scottish glovemanship. Germany were so dominant, it was like watching Real Madrid against QPR. Soon Ilkay Gundogan sliced open the Scottish defence with a surgical pass, Kai Havertz cut inside and cut back for Musiala to swivel and ram a shot into the roof of the net.And it might have been three inside 25 minutes, but for VAR. Musiala was shoved in the back by Ryan Christie and Kieran Tierney lunged in on him. Ref Clement Turpin pointed to the spot but his VAR said Christie’s offence had come fractionally outside the area.It was a massive let-off but there was still no sign of Scotland actually joining in. This was so one-sided that the German supporters started a Mexican Wave after less than half an hour. Iconic Scottish manager Sir Alex Ferguson and legendary Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho were in attendance at the gameCredit: RexBefore the break, it got far, far worse for the Scots. Gunn pulled off an excellent save from a Gundogan header but from the rebound, Ryan Porteous lunged and caught the former Manchester City man on the shin. Turpin had given nothing but after he was sent to his screen by his VAR, the French ref awarded a penalty and dismissed the Scottish defender.Havertz casually sent Gunn the wrong way and a first half from hell was complete for Clarke’s men. At half-time, there was no Braveheartery as Clarke opted for damage limitation, taking off his lone striker Che Adams and bringing on Grant Hanley in defence.Gundogan was unable to continue after his maiming by Porteous.  As a lone piper played a blood-curdling lament in the away end, Wirtz skied a close-range volley after some bewitching work from Musiala. Nagelsmann began resting some key men, including Wirtz and Havertz, before the hour mark – although the sight of Leroy Sane emerging from the bench must have felt like a cruel joke to the Scots.Niclas Fullkrug, who had just replaced Havertz, then stole the ball off the toes of Hanley and walloped it into the far corner for the fourth before he had another effort ruled out for offside.  Musiala was withdrawn to make way for veteran Thomas Muller. We are going to see plenty more of this young fella over the next month – quite possibly all the way until the final in Berlin on July 14. READ MORE SUN STORIESThe Scottish support erupted in joy three minutes from time when Toni Rudiger diverted a Scott McKenna header into his own net.But just when the ten men thought hey had the satisfaction of drawing the second half, Emre Can thumped home Germany’s fifth with the last kick of the game.Mark Halsey on penalty and red card

SCOTLAND can have no arguments with Germany’s first-half penalty or Ryan Porteous’ red card.
Watford defender Porteous made a dangerous lunge at Ilkay Gundogan and the officials finally came to the correct decision.
It was tough for French referee Clement Turpin to see the challenge in real-time but VAR was quick to intervene for a review at the monitor and he immediately pointed to the spot.
This is how VAR should work and the technology was also used efficiently when Turpin awarded a penalty but Jamal Musiala was caught by a combination of Ryan Christie and Kieran Tierney just outside the box.
It was refreshing that Scotland captain Andy Robertson followed the protocol and was the only player to approach Turpin following his decisions.
I said in my Euro 2024 preview that we would see fast games due to the direction of Uefa refs’ chief Roberto Rosetti and Germany’s easy win in Munich was a positive start. More