Soccer Monday: Germany wins big to open Euros, Italy recovers and Bellingham saves England
Kick the week off with all the news from this past weekend
The European Championship kicked off on this past Friday. Over the course of the tournament’s first three days, we witnessed seven games for a total of 22 goals — an average of 3.14 per game.
It has been a very impressive start for a tournament that features 24 of the best teams from Europe and some of the game’s best players. And this is just the start. For all the latest scores, click here.
Here’s a deeper look the Euros’ opening weekend (and much more):
3. Hosts rout Scotland in opener
First-half goals from Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala set Germany on the path to a confidence-boosting 5-1 win over 10-man Scotland on Friday in the opening match of Euro 2024.
Germany cruised to victory at Munich’s Allianz Arena — a result that unleashed euphoria across the country.
“Yes, that’s exactly the way we wanted to start and, to be honest, we needed a start just like that,” Germany captain İlkay Gundogan told German broadcaster ZDF. “I had a good feeling before the game already, to be honest, and it came true, thank God. But exactly this atmosphere, the euphoria in the stadium now with our own fans, that’s exactly what we need in order to go far.”
The Germans dominated the first half, which ended in the worst possible way for Scotland when defender Ryan Porteous was sent off and Kai Havertz converted the resulting penalty kick. Substitutes Niclas Füllkrug and Emre Can added goals after the break to pad out the win.
“The first 20 minutes were very impressive. The first goals were very good,” Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann said. “It’s very valuable that many players performed well early on. “It was only the first step but a very good one and we can build on this one. We’re very happy.”
2. Italy concedes early, only to recover
Italy, the defending European champions, recovered after letting in the quickest goal in the tournament’s 64-year history on Saturday to beat Albania 2-1 in Dortmund and avoid the upset.
Nedim Bajrami scored after just 23 seconds at the Westfalenstadion in Dortmund, pouncing on a throw-in by defender Federico Dimarco that failed to reach teammate Alessandro Bastoni, before unleashing a shot inside the near post.
Within 16 minutes, the Italians were ahead when Bastoni headed in Lorenzo Pellegrini’s cross, then Nicolo Barella struck home a swerving shot from the edge of the penalty area.
But Albania nearly grabbed a draw in stoppage time, but Rey Manaj’s chip was sent wide by goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
“We played the game the right way,” Italy manager Luciano Spalletti said. “The scoreline didn’t reflect the difference between the two teams.”
1. Bellingham comes through for England
Jude Bellingham has again made the case that he is among the world’s best players.
The midfielder scored on a header after just 13 minutes to lift England to a 1-0 win against Serbia 1-0 on Sunday in Gelsenkirchen.
“Every game I feel like I can make an impact, I feel like I can decide games,” Bellingham said. “I really enjoy playing football so when I go out there, I play with a fearlessness because I love doing it so much. It is a release for me.”
For all the beauty seen on the field, the game was marred by fan violence. Video showed men throwing chairs at each other outside a nearby restaurant. One group quickly left as German riot police arrived and wrestled at least one man to the ground.
Gelsenkirchen police said that officers intervened to stop a confrontation between Serbian and English fans.
In other news: Vincent Mauro, a FIFA referee who officiated at the 1990 World Cup, died this past Saturday at the age of 80. Mauro was a former director of referees at U.S. Soccer and the New Jersey State Referee Administrator. He worked several major competitions, including the 1988 Summer Olympics in South Korea and the 1989 Copa America. “The New Jersey State Referee Committee is saddened to note the passing of Vinnie Mauro,” the organization posted on its Facebook page. “Between the mid-90s and the mid-2000s until leaving for his home country of Italy, Vinnie touched and educated some of the most successful referees around the world. He will be missed.” … Leonardo Frugis Afonso scored in stoppage time as Inter Miami beat the Philadelphia Union 2-1 on Saturday night. Afonso, on a breakaway, beat defender Jakob Glesnes near the top of the penalty area and, as goalkeeper Oliver Semmle charged off his line, rolled a shot into the net to give Miami a 2-1 lead in the fourth minute of stoppage time. … Texas-born Fabian Hurzeler was appointed Brighton coach on Saturday and became the youngest manager in English Premier League history. The 31-year-old coach succeeds Roberto De Zerbi at Brighton after signing a contract until 2027. Hurzeler, who has joined from Germany’s St. Pauli, was born in the U.S. but moved to Europe when he was two.