Andrew Robertson Admits Scotland's Mistakes in Heavy Defeat to Germany

Scotland's captain, Andrew Robertson, made no excuses following his team's humbling 5-1 defeat to Germany in their Euro 2024 opener in Munich. In a candid post-match interview, Robertson acknowledged that Scotland "got it all wrong" in the first half, leading to a disheartening start to their tournament campaign.

The first half saw Steve Clarke’s side overwhelmed, conceding three goals and losing Ryan Porteous to a red card. Goals from Florian Wirtz, Jamal Musiala, and a Kai Havertz penalty left Scotland trailing by three goals at halftime.

Robertson’s Honest Assessment

“First half we got it all wrong,” Robertson admitted on ITV. “We didn’t show up, weren’t aggressive enough, and let really good players on the ball. They had a game plan and we did too, but theirs worked a million times better than ours. It wasn’t because of the practice, but because we couldn’t put it together on the pitch.”

Robertson was clear about the team's failure to execute their game plan, particularly in the face of such a formidable opponent. “When big occasions come you have to do that and unfortunately we didn’t do that in the first half. Second half, when we were down to 10 men, I thought the lads did really well.”

Second Half Struggles

The second half saw substitutes Niclas Fullkrug and Emre Can score for Germany, while Scotland managed to get on the scoreboard through an Antonio Rudiger own goal. Despite being down a man, Scotland showed some resilience, but it wasn’t enough to turn the tide.

Reflecting on Disappointment

Reflecting on the match, Robertson expressed his disappointment, particularly for the fans who had come to support the team. “We are well backed over here, we have so many supporters, but today was hugely disappointing. We were playing against the host nation in the first game; it doesn’t get tougher than that, but we have to bounce back quickly as there were a lot of things wrong and we have to sort it.”

Moving Forward

Despite the heavy loss, Robertson remains focused on the future. “They were excellent across the park and made it really difficult for us. I don’t think we’ve played to our maximum. We have to dust ourselves down and go again. We have five days until we play Switzerland, we need to be positive and go again.”

Scotland will need to regroup quickly and address the issues highlighted in this match if they hope to progress in the tournament. The team’s next game against Switzerland will be crucial in determining their path forward in Euro 2024.