Euro 2024: Steve Clarke encourages Scotland fans to ‘keep the faith’ after heavy loss to Germany

Steve Clarke urged a disheartened Tartan Army to “keep the faith” after Scotland’s Euro 2024 campaign began with a 5-1 defeat against Germany.

Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala scored for Germany before Scotland’s Ryan Porteous was sent off just before halftime for a reckless tackle on Ilkay Gundogan, resulting in a penalty converted by Kai Havertz.

Reduced to 10 men, Scotland faced an uphill battle. Germany’s Niclas Fullkrug extended the lead to 4-0 with a brilliant strike in the 68th minute. Although Germany’s Antonio Rudiger scored an own goal in the 87th minute, Emre Can restored Germany’s four-goal advantage with a clever finish in added time.

With upcoming Group A fixtures against Switzerland and Hungary, Clarke addressed the fans, saying: “Keep the faith. See you at the next game. The game got away from us quickly, especially after the sending off, making it a night of damage limitation. In the second half, the boys gave everything to keep the score reasonable, but we must move on and analyze the game.”

Clarke reassured: “I have never doubted my players. It was a tough night, and we didn’t play to our standard. Germany were excellent, and we couldn’t gain a foothold. We need four points from the next two games, and that’s our focus. The players are disappointed, but we know we are a better team than this, and we hope to show that in the next games.”

Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann expressed surprise at Scotland’s performance, telling ITV: “I’m happy and satisfied. It’s not easy to have the first game in our own country. We were brilliant in the first 20 minutes. I was surprised Scotland weren’t more aggressive. They seemed taken aback by our possession and defended deeper than expected.”

Scotland’s fans and players alike will be looking for a strong response in their next matches to keep their Euro 2024 hopes alive.

Last Updated Jun 15, 2024, 5:15 PM IST