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Scotland have suffered a horror start at Euro 2024 with a 5-1 thumping by Germany in the tournament’s opening match.

They had a big hill to climb from early on after an opener from Florian Wirtz in the 10th minute was followed by a second from Jamal Musiala.

Musiala, who had a great opening match, slammed the ball into the roof of the net to significantly dampen the spirits of the Tartan Army.

It went from bad to worse when Ryan Porteous was sent off for fouling Ilkay Gundogan in the box just before half-time – with Arsenal’s Kai Havertz converting the penalty.

Germany's Jamal Musiala scores his second goal
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Jamal Musiala scored a cracking second goal for Germany

Scotland's Ryan Porteous was sent off for fouling Germany's Ilkay Gundogan.
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Scotland’s Ryan Porteous was sent off for fouling Ilkay Gundogan

Manchester United legend Roy Keane savaged Scotland as being “out of their depth”, saying “the difference in quality was chalk and cheese”.

“Robertson said Scotland weren’t aggressive enough – you have to be aggressive in a game of football,” said Keane on ITV.

“When you’re up against opposition who are much stronger than you, being aggressive is part of being a footballer.”

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Germany were equally dominant after the break and Niclas Fullkrug added another to make it 4-0.

There was a sliver of consolation as an Antonio Rudiger own goal in the 87th minute gave Scotland fans a brief moment of celebration.

However, Emre Can struck in stoppage time to make it 5-1 – the worst opening match defeat ever in the Euros.

Read more:
Scots party in Munich ahead of Euro 2024 opener

Quality of Scottish football exposed


Rob Harris

Rob Harris

Sports correspondent

@RobHarris

A brutal reality check for Scotland.

A 5-1 thumping by Germany isn’t terminal for their hopes of making it into the Euro 2024 knockout phase.

Even just winning one of their remaining Group A games against Switzerland or Hungary could be enough to stay in Germany – but the quality of Scottish football was exposed by the hosts.

You could see in Munich why Scotland’s squad is valued at £175m and Germany’s would cost £700m to assemble, according to the player valuation trackers at Transfermarkt.

Maybe holding out for 10 minutes before conceding was the only surprise.

The Scots were suffocated from the start by a Germany side enjoying the benefits of home comforts in Munich.

The visiting defence just couldn’t cope before Florian Wirtz’s opener and goalkeeper Angus Gunn couldn’t stop the power of Jamal Musiala’s strike after 19 minutes.

There was one VAR penalty reprieve, but not another when Ryan Porteous was sent off for a lunging tackle. How did he think he could get away with that with VAR?

At least there was clarity in the stadium with decisions explained in details on screens for the first time at a major tournament.

That was one frustration for fans removed. But this was the most frustrating of nights for Scotland.

The penalty conceded by Porteous was converted by Kai Havertz leaving a 3-0 deficit at half-time.

The only comfort for Scotland was limiting the damage in the second half to two goals.

Scotland also managed to score the first time in the opening game at a Euros thanks to Antonio Rudiger deflecting Scott McKenna’s header into his own goal.

But in the game’s dying moments even that consolation was snatched away as a rampant German side made it 5-1.

So one good omen, perhaps? Two games to find their way out of the group stage.

It was an error-strewn showing for Scotland, who will have to vastly improve in the next matches against Hungary and Switzerland.

Captain Andy Roberts called it “hugely disappointing” and admitted the team “didn’t really show up”.

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Fans still positive as Germany crush Scotland

He said they could be angry tomorrow but must “bounce back quickly” for Wednesday’s match.

“We have to dust ourselves down, we’ve got five days to sort ourselves out and go again against Switzerland,” said Robertson.

Sombre-looking manager Steve Clarke said the players were poor both with and without the ball.

Kieran Tierney and Jack Hendry looked dejected after the thrashing. Pic: Reuters
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Kieran Tierney and Jack Hendry looked dejected after the thrashing. Pic: Reuters

But he said “what we need to do is still in front of us”.

Ally McCoist praised fantastic strikes by Germany’s Fulkrug and Musiala – and said Scotland needed “more belief” if they are to get anywhere in the competition.

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Teenage boy jailed for seven years for killing 80-year-old dog walker – as 13-year-old girl escapes jail sentence

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Teenage boy jailed for seven years for killing 80-year-old dog walker - as 13-year-old girl escapes jail sentence

The family of an 80-year-old man say they have “no sympathy” for the children who killed their loved one, as a 15-year-old boy was jailed for seven years and a 13-year-old girl escaped a custodial sentence.

Bhim Kohli was found lying on the ground in Franklin Park in Braunstone Town, near Leicester, on 1 September last year and died the next evening of a spinal cord injury.

He had been following a familiar routine, walking his beloved dog Rocky to the local park, just yards away from his home. But when he arrived at the park, he was approached by teens who attacked him.

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CCTV shows 80-year-old before attack

The jury at Leicester Crown Court heard a girl, aged 12 at the time, had pointed Mr Kohli out to a boy, who was 14 at the time, and who then subjected Mr Kohli to a brutally violent attack.

The 80-year-old grandfather was slapped about the face with a slider shoe and racially abused, before being punched and kicked while on the floor.

Mr Kohli suffered a broken neck and fractured ribs as a result of the attack.

Mr Kohli's daughter, Susan Kohli
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Mr Kohli’s daughter, Susan Kohli

His daughter, Susan Kohli, who found her father lying on the ground following the attack, says it’s hard to find forgiveness for her father’s killers, regardless of their ages.

“Why should they be given grace for what they have done?” asks Ms Kohli. “They chose to attack a defenceless pensioner and for that I cannot give them any of my sympathy.”

Bhim Sen Kohli

Initially, the boy, now 15, told the jury he walked over to Mr Kohli, wearing a balaclava because the girl, now 13, had said Mr Kohli “carries a knife”.

But this was disputed in court, and the attack on Mr Kohli was described by the prosecution as “gratuitous violence against a man who was defenceless”.

While the girl involved never physically touched Mr Kohli, the court heard she had taken a photograph of him in Franklin Park just a week before he was killed.

Kelly Matthews, a senior district crown prosecutor
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Kelly Matthews, a senior district crown prosecutor

“If it wasn’t for her, things might have been very different,” said Kelly Matthews, a senior district crown prosecutor, who explained why the girl was also convicted of manslaughter.

“She was the one [who] pointed him out to the boy. Whilst the boy was attacking Mr Kohli, she filmed it. She encouraged him. She laughed, when violence was taking place,” said Ms Matthews.

Police community support officers at the scene in Franklin Park last September. Pic: PA
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Police community support officers at the scene in Franklin Park last September. Pic: PA

Ms Kohli says she still cannot understand why anyone, but especially “children of that age”, would want to attack an “old age pensioner”.

“You can see from his physique that he’s a very gentle, frail man. What was going through their heads?” she asks.

“That’s what I cannot get my head around.”

However, she believes the glorification of violence on social media played an element, and says “parents also have a part to play in it” to ensure their children’s social activity is being monitored.

The 15-year-old boy was ordered to serve seven years’ detention, and the 13-year-old girl was handed a three-year youth rehabilitation order by a High Court judge at Leicester Crown Court.

Mr Justice Turner called it a “cowardly and violent attack” on an elderly man who did “nothing to deserve” what happened to him.

He told the boy: “What you did was not one single attack which you immediately regretted, but two separate violent outbursts.”

He added: “I’m sure you regret he died because of what you did to Mr Kohli, but you still say it wasn’t your fault.

“It was your fault and the sooner you realise this, the better.”

He accepted, while the girl had encouraged the boy’s behaviour, she did not know he would use “anything like the level of violence he did”.

Speaking outside Leicester Crown Court after the sentencing, Ms Kohli said she is “angry and disappointed” the teenagers’ sentence does not reflect the severity of the crime.

“The death of my dad has left a hole in our family, a hole that can never be filled because of the actions of two teenagers on that Sunday evening last September,” she said.

“I believe on that day the two teenagers made a choice. The teenage boy chose to attack my dad and the girl chose to film him being attacked. They knew what they were doing.”

She added: “When they are released, they still have their full lives ahead of them. They can rebuild their lives. We can’t.”

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Murder arrest after electric bike, pedestrian and car collision leaves teen dead in Sheffield

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Murder arrest after electric bike, pedestrian and car collision leaves teen dead in Sheffield

A 20-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 16-year-old boy died following a collision between an electric bike, a pedestrian and a car in Sheffield, police have said.

Emergency services responded shortly after 4.50pm on Wednesday to reports of an accident in Staniforth Road in the Darnall area of Sheffield.

South Yorkshire Police said it is understood that a grey Audi drove towards three electric bikes, colliding with one rider.

The car continued to travel following the crash with the electric bike and was further involved in a collision with a pedestrian.

The driver of the Audi failed to stop at the scene.

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Witness recalls giving CPR

Graphic CCTV footage of the incident appears to show the car veer into the opposite carriageway before hitting the 16-year-old pedestrian at speed.

Pic: YappApp
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Forensics officers at the scene. Pic: YappApp

Pic: YappApp
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Pic: YappApp

The boy was taken to hospital. Despite emergency treatment, he died as a result of his injuries. The boy’s family has been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.

An 18-year-old man, who was the rider of the electric bike, remains in hospital with serious injuries which are not thought to be life-threatening.

A 20-year-old man in Kent has been arrested on suspicion of murder. He remains in police custody.

Three people, a 45-year-old woman and two men aged 26 and 46, have been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender. All three remain in custody.

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Senior Investigating Officer in the case, Detective Chief Inspector Benjamin Wood, said: “This is a tragic incident in which an entirely innocent bystander, who was going about his daily business, has sadly lost his life. Our thoughts are with the boy’s loved ones, and we remain focused on securing justice for them.

“We know that this incident will have caused concern in the local community, and we have a team of detectives working at pace to piece together the circumstances which unfolded.

“We’re aware of footage being shared online and I’d like to reiterate our message to the public to withhold from speculating or circulating videos which may cause distress to the boy’s family.

“If you have any footage, imagery or information that may help our investigation then please share this directly with us – it may form an important part of our enquiries. We are also keen to hear from the riders of two electric bikes who were in the area at the time of the incident.”

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Mum who abused son so badly he had to have his legs amputated to be freed early from prison

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Mum who abused son so badly he had to have his legs amputated to be freed early from prison

A mother who abused her child so badly he had to have his legs amputated is to be released early from prison.

Jody Simpson and Anthony Smith were both jailed for 10 years in 2018 for torturing their son, Tony Hudgell, who is now 10.

Anthony Smith and Jody Simpson were jailed for abusing Tony
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Anthony Smith and Jody Simpson were jailed for abusing Tony

He was just 41 days old when he was assaulted by the pair and left untreated and in agony for 10 days.

The attack caused multiple fractures, dislocations and blunt trauma to the face, leading to organ failure, toxic shock and sepsis.

The damage meant both his legs had to be amputated.

Simpson was due to be released on licence at the halfway point of her prison sentence in August 2022.

However, then justice secretary Dominic Raab referred her case to the Parole Board and her release was put on hold.

A spokesperson for the Parole Board on Wednesday confirmed Simpson was set to be released.

Paula Hudgell, Tony’s adoptive mother, criticised the decision in a social media post.

“Tony has life long injuries every day he suffers due to her hands,” she wrote on X.

Tony’s case led to a public outcry and calls for child abusers to be given life behind bars.

Tory MP Tom Tugendhat, who led a campaign for the changes, which are also known as Tony’s Law, said on X: “I’m backing Tony as he faces the early release of his abuser – his birth mum.

“Tony lives every day with the pain caused by her crimes as a baby. We must do more to protect children like him.”

Tony has since gone on to be a successful fundraiser for charity – for which he has been honoured by the Royal Family.

Read more:
Royals invite double amputee to Buckingham Palace
Tony Hudgell is youngest person to receive British Empire Medal

The Prince of Wales meets Tony Hudgell during a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace, London. Picture date: Tuesday May 20, 2025.
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The Prince of Wales with Tony, who has raised millions for charity, during a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace in May. Pic: PA

A statement from the Parole Board said: “We can confirm that a panel of the Parole Board has directed the release of Jody Simpson following an oral hearing.

“Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community.

“A panel will carefully examine a huge range of evidence, including details of the original crime, and any evidence of behaviour change, as well as explore the harm done and impact the crime has had on the victims.”

It added: “Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority.”

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A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “This was a horrific crime that saw Tony Hudgell mercilessly tortured by his birth parents and our thoughts remain with him and his loved ones.

“Now that the independent Parole Board has directed her release, Jody Simpson will be subject to strict supervision and licence conditions. She faces an immediate return to prison if she breaks the rules.”

Smith was due for automatic release in early September 2022, but his early release was blocked at the time.

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