Scott McTominay puts forth a strong shift for Scotland despite the disappointing setback.

Scott McTominay of Manchester United performed admirably for Scotland in a tough match against Germany yesterday night.

 

The first game of Euro 2024 held so much promise for the Scots, but that hope was dashed in nine first-half minutes when they conceded two quick goals to Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala.

 

The night became even worse when they gave up a penalty following a VAR review and Ryan Porteous was sent off for a late, wild tackle in the box.

 

The Scots were much more determined in the second half, defending excellently with 10 men, but eventually succumbed, losing two more goals. They managed to get one back thanks to an own goal by Antonio Rudiger.

 

The Tartan army had only one shot compared to Germany’s 20, and none of them were on target. They also only had 27 percent of the ball.

 

McTominay didn’t have his finest night, but he worked hard for his team from a deeper midfield position. Sofascore rated his performance as 6.7.

 

The 27-year-old got 35 touches of the ball on a night when Scotland struggled to even enter Germany’s half, let alone tie together a long passing chain.

 

He completed 12 of his 17 passes for a passing accuracy of 71% and completed the one long ball he attempted during the game.

 

He crossed the ball three times, with a Scotsman on the other end once, and he was in charge of taking the majority of his team’s free kicks during the evening.

 

As expected given the opponent and game context, he had a lot of work to do defensively, winning six of his nine ground duels and one of his two aerial clashes.

 

The United Academy product also made two clearances and blocked one shot. He recorded two interceptions and three successful tackles.

 

Scotland must rise to the occasion when they face Switzerland on Wednesday night, in what already appears to be a must-win encounter if they are to continue their European journey.