THE BALL PASSING MACHINE: Toni Kroos made ‘EXCELLENT’ 101/102 passes against Scotland; 4 clearances, 1 tackle, 1 interception but Rudiger was still unlucky.
Antonio Rudiger and Toni Kroos, both of Real Madrid, enjoyed an enjoyable inaugural night at the Euro 2024. They earned their first points by assisting Germany in defeating Scotland 5-1.
Kroos has seamlessly assimilated into the new-look Germany team since his retirement, and it is evident that they have been in dire need of him, as exemplified by his consistently strong performances, including the one against Scotland.
Throughout the competition, Kroos was observed to operate as a third center-back when in possession, utilising the space provided by Scotland to his advantage. He maintained his remarkable performance. Joshua Kimmich executed a cross-field pass that enabled Florian Wirtz to score from the perimeter of the box, which is also the manner by which Germany scored their inaugural goal. Fun fact: In the 50th minute, he erred in his initial and final pass of the match.
Kroos was substituted for Emre Can in the 80th minute, and the German supporters responded with an enthusiastic standing ovation. His final stats were as follows: 107 touches, four vital passes, eight completed long balls, one interception, and 102 passes with an astonishing 99% accuracy. He is undoubtedly one of Germany’s finest players.
Rudiger’s performance was satisfactory until the 89th minute, when he inadvertently scored an own goal to provide Scotland with a consolation. Although he completed 93% of his 90 passes, he was respectable in other respects, recording four clearances, one tackle, and one interception. Nevertheless, his performance was somewhat diminished by the own goal.
After an own goal by Antonio Rudiger, Scotland scored a goal. Subsequently, Emre Can scored Germany’s fifth goal.
On the second day of the group stage, Hungary will face Switzerland in Cologne, Spain will face Croatia in Berlin, and Italy will face Albania in Dortmund.
Germany will now face Hungary in their second game of the Euro 2024, with the objective of achieving two victories in two games.
