Day 2 in Germany
Four words sum up Day 2 of our Euro 2024 Adventure, “No Scotland, No Party”.
If you read our previous updates, you will know that yesterday we were arriving into Munich still on the hunt for tickets to the opening match between Germany and Scotland. How did we get on? After much waiting on ticket prices to drop, we eventually purchased tickets via a third party website for an undisclosed fee :)
Arriving in Munich
We planned our arrival into Munich early with our train entering the main Hbf from Nuremberg at 10.20am. Little touches such as the welcome mats on the DB trains greeting you on arrival into Munich as Euro 2024 fever was clear to see in this host city.
Munich was alive! 10.30am felt like early evening with Euro 2024 representatives greeting people arriving in the centre of Munich. Our first destination was Augustiner Keller a thriving beer garden just outside the square.
From here we headed to the Hofbrauhaus were the “No Scotland No Party” was sung on repeat as opposition fans regularly exchanged a “Prost”! The way the German and Scotland fans mingled with each other in the build up to the big match was second to none.
In the main square, the sun came out mid-afternoon and it was an enjoyable place to be as the small statues were covered in the flags of both nations.
Getting to The Allianz Arena
We left the city centre three hours before kick off – just about when everyone else decided to do so. There were large volumes of people but the queues moved quickly.
On arrival at the stadium the platforms were swarming with football shirts as Germany and Scotland fans continued to enjoy each other’s company on the walk to the ground.
As you approached the stadium, there was a natural bottle-neck as tickets were activated inside the Euro 2024 app and this seemed seamless, both for us and everyone around too. After a brief conversation with stewards over the size of the power-bank in our possession, we were allowed through intact – the security checks other than this were rapid.
Germany v Scotland
Many opening matches of tournaments can be a let down as Managers opt for the “don’t lose your first match” mentality. However that mindset didn’t seem to be in play last night at the Allianz Arena where 66,000 spectators witnessed a one-way goal fest!
The opening ceremony was a colourful affair which lacked the wow factor compared to the opening of Euro 2020 in Rome (in 2021 of course!) but that would have been something very difficult to rival! However it was good to see Jürgen Klinsmann on the pitch before the match too.
From the first whistle the Germans were at it, clearly seeking an early goal. They didn’t have to wait long. When the ball was squared to Bayer Leverkusen golden boy Florian Wirtz, there was only ever going to be one result. Even though Angus Gunn in the Scotland net got a hand to the ball, it squirmed in. It was 2-0 soon after as Jamal Musiala fired in their second and the game already seemed over.
By half-time it WAS over, with Kai Havertz adding the third from the penalty spot, a moment which also saw Scotland reduced to 10 men.
With the clock ticking it was good to see Julian Nagelsmann make early changes as the hosts could afford to rest important players. Niclas Füllkrug entered the fray and exploded into action adding the 4th goal for Germany
In the 74th minute came the biggest ovation of all as German legend Thomas Müller’s name was chanted around the stadium. Müller, who turns 35 years old this year, was into the action immediately, himself and the entire stadium it seemed wanting him to score a goal which would have created something special. That moment never arrived but it was still a magical night for the hosts.
There was late action with Scotland adding a late consolation with an own goal from Rudiger, however the final word went to Emre Can who added a spectacular fifth goal in added time.
Enjoy this video which includes the build up to the match, the fans arriving together, some of the opening ceremony and the goal celebrations too!
By the time we exited the stadium, the previously grey look of the building had changed to an illuminated oblong radiantly showing the Euro 2024 colours which had been evident throughout the opening ceremony. We were able to swiftly get back to the trains and were back in the centre of Munich by 11.30pm
To summarise the match – no-one will want to face Germany in this tournament if they play like this. For Scotland the party will continue for now..
Covert Football Trips
Who are we? Covert Football Trips create Mystery Football Weekends. Choose from 2 or 3 Night experiences which include your flights, accommodation and match tickets. We are a travel agent so your trip is ATOL protected whilst we use our own experience to create amazing weekends.
Choose grounds to avoid, select the dates you want to travel and note the airports you would prefer to fly from and then sit back and let us do all the hard work.
This Summer, you can book a 2 Night Mystery Trip to Germany for just £10 deposit per person! Get the gang together and choose your weekend of choice!
